Record rainfall in central China leads to flooding and evacuations
Gushing brown torrents washed away cars in the city of 300,000 deluged on Monday night, local media videos showed online, as more than 14 inches of rain fell in one area.
State media said more than 18,000 were shifted to safety, while water and power supplies were disrupted, prompting the closure of schools and suspension of bus services.
Chinese meteorologists blame climate change for heavier and more frequent rain, saying communities in mountainous areas are particularly vulnerable to flash floods, while rural areas lack forecasting capabilities.
'Accurately forecasting the intensity and exact location of heavy rain remains challenging, especially with climate change and the complex terrain of rural areas,' said Meng Gao, a specialist in climate modelling at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Floods on Monday in the central province of Henan killed three people, with five missing after more than 9 inches of rain fell on two rural towns in three hours, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Last week, floods hit the southwestern city of Rongjiang in Guizhou province twice in four days, amid 72 hours of rain that was double the average for June, killing six and forcing tens of thousands to flee to safety.
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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
At least 31 nursing home residents left to drown in horror China floods – as Xi's officials make chilling admission
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DEADLY floods have killed at least 31 residents in a Chinese nursing home after they were all left to drown. Over 80,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes immediately as torrid storms swept across Beijing this week with the death toll now reaching 44. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Floods tore through homes in the Miyun District with dozens of casualties coming from an elderly care home Credit: Reuters 6 Nine districts around Beijing have been badly affected including the Huairou district Credit: AFP 6 A bridge had been split in two across the overflowing Qingshui river after heavy rainfall Credit: Reuters The Chinese capital was set up to be secure in the face of disastrous weather but officials have been forced to admit that there had been "gaps" in the city's readiness for heavy rains. Yu Weiguo, ruling Communist Party boss in the worst-hit Miyun district, announced: "There were gaps in our preparatory plans. Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking. "This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan." The floods tore through homes in the Miyun District with dozens of casualties coming from an elderly care home. Around 77 residents were inside the home when the floods hit. Many of them were immobile or severely disabled and were under constant supervision from carers. Over half were trapped in their rooms as water levels rose to almost 6ft, according to Chinese media. A devastated Chinese official explained at a press conference on Thursday that the care home was supposed to have been in a "safe zone". The central area of the town where the nursing home was located wasn't included in any evacuation scope meaning rescuers weren't able to help until it was too late. Officials had tried to battle through the surging waves but were unable to rescue more than seven of the residents. Horror vids show floods swamp China turning roads into rapids with at least 38 killed and 80k evacuated from Beijing In the nearby Hebei province, 16 people died as a result of extreme rainfall, officials said. In the city of Chengde, another eight were killed with 18 still missing. The storms have knocked out power in more than 130 villages in Beijing and destroyed communication lines making any rescue missions tricky. More than 30 sections of road have also been ripped up. Terrifying videos have emerged showing the roads being turned into rivers. Swaths of northern China were lashed by torrential downpours that sparked landslides and flooding, state media said on Tuesday. A heartbroken Pang, a 52-year-old resident of Taishitun, said the flood is the type of disaster "seen once in a hundred years". The government has allocated 350 million yuan ($49million) for disaster relief in nine regions hit by heavy rains. A separate 200 million yuan has been set aside for the capital, the broadcaster said. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. In 2023, heavy rain killed more than 80 people across northern and northeastern China, including at least 29 people in Hebei where severe flooding destroyed homes and crops. Some reports at the time suggested the province shouldered the burden of a government decision to divert the deluge away from Beijing. 6 Soldiers have been trying to rescue trapped villagers since Tuesday Credit: AP 6 Village officials and volunteers clear fallen branches from a road in Zhongshan Village of Changxing County Credit: Alamy
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
31 people trapped in nursing home died in floods, Beijing officials say
A group of elderly people trapped in a flooded nursing home were among at least 70 people who died during powerful storms that lashed Beijing and neighbouring provinces, Chinese officials have said. Thirty-one people died at the Taishitun Town Elderly Care Centre when Beijing's Miyun district became one of the hardest hit areas by storms that dumped nearly a year's worth of rain in the area over a few days, they said. Advertisement Floodwaters surged in the area on Monday and many were caught unprepared. Rescuers evacuate a stranded villager in Liulimiao Town of Huairou District on the outskirts of Beijing (Zhang Chenlin/Xinhua via AP) Officials offered a rare public apology on Thursday when they announced the deaths. 'For a long time, this senior centre was in the town's centre and was safe, and such was not included in the preparedness plans. This means that our prepared plans had holes,' Miyun Party secretary Yu Weiguo said, expressing his condolences and adding it was a 'bitter lesson'. The care centre housed 69 residents, including 55 who were disabled in some capacity. Advertisement The facility sat on low-lying ground near a river that had flooded after the unusually intense rains, local media outlet Caixin reported. When the floods hit on Monday, there were 77 people in the building including staff. The nursing home was featured in a rescue story from state broadcaster CCTV showing rescuers in boats pulling people out of windows without mentioning any deaths. 'Through hours of a concerted effort, they successfully rescued 48 people,' a caption of the video story said without mentioning anyone had died. Advertisement The city later announced 28 people died in Miyun district on Tuesday after rescuers could get to the scene, but did not disclose who had died and where. Villagers carrying belongings walk past soldiers heading to rescue trapped villagers on a road damaged by floods after heavy rains in Miyun district on the outskirts of Beijing (Andy Wong/AP) China's government censors have tightened information control since leader Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, seeing it as crucial to preventing unrest. In recent years, increasingly more topics from negative news about the economy to basic information about violent attacks, such as the number of injured people, have been subject to censorship. When the waters came this week, they rose quickly to two metres (6.5ft) at the deepest points, Beijing officials said. Advertisement Many could not escape. One Beijing resident's 87-year-old mother managed to get out of the elderly care centre in Miyun, Caixin reported. 'She doesn't know where she got the strength, but she managed to climb on to the windowsill,' she said, noting her mother's roommate was unable to get up and drowned. Officials said 44 people died in Beijing. Advertisement In neighbouring Hebei province, authorities announced an additional eight deaths on Thursday and 16 deaths in total this week. A flooded area where a minibus went missing after heavy rain in Datong city in north China's Shanxi province (Xinhua via AP) In northern Shanxi province, authorities announced on Wednesday evening that 10 people were dead after a minibus carrying farm workers washed away in heavy rain. Four people were still missing as the rescue continued, according to a city government statement three days after the bus disappeared.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Beijing officials say 31 older people trapped in a senior center died in floods
A group of elderly people trapped in a flooded nursing home were among at least 70 people who died during powerful storms that lashed Beijing and neighboring provinces. Officials said Thursday 31 people died at the Taishitun Town Elderly Care Center when Beijing's Miyun district became one of the hardest hit areas by storms that dumped nearly a year's worth of rain in the area over a few days. Flood waters surged in the area Monday and many were caught unprepared. Officials offered a rare public apology Thursday when they announced the deaths. 'For a long time, this senior center was in the town's center and was safe, and such was not included in the preparedness plans. This means that our prepared plans had holes,' Miyun Party secretary Yu Weiguo said, expressing his condolences and adding it was a 'bitter lesson." The care center housed 69 residents, including 55 who were disabled in some capacity. The facility sat on low-lying ground near a river that had flooded after the unusually intense rains, local media outlet Caixin reported. When the floods hit Monday, there were 77 people in the building including staffers. The nursing home was featured in a rescue story from state broadcaster CCTV showing rescuers in boats pulling people out of windows without mentioning any deaths. 'Through hours of a concerted effort, they successfully rescued 48 people,' a caption of the video story said without mentioning anyone had died. The city later announced 28 people died in Miyun district Tuesday after rescuers could go to the scene, but did not disclose who had died and where. China's government censors have tightened information control since leader Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, seeing it as crucial to preventing unrest. In recent years, increasingly more topics from negative news about the economy to basic information about violent attacks, such as the number of injured people, have been subject to censorship. When the waters came this week, they rose quickly to 2 meters (6.5 feet) at the deepest points, Beijing officials said. Many couldn't escape. One Beijing resident's 87-year old mother managed to get out of the elder care center in Miyun, Caixin reported. 'She doesn't know where she got the strength, but she managed to climb onto the windowsill,' she said, noting her mother's roommate was unable to get up and drowned. Officials said 44 people died in Beijing. In neighboring Hebei province, authorities announced an additional eight deaths Thursday and 16 deaths total this week. In northern Shanxi province, authorities announced Wednesday evening that 10 people were dead after a minibus carrying farm workers washed away in heavy rain. Four people were still missing as the rescue continued, according to a city government statement three days after the bus disappeared. ___ Fu Ting in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
