China flooding kills dozens, including 31 trapped at elderly care home
Officials said on Thursday that 31 people died at the Taishitun Town Elderly Care Center in the Miyun district, about a 90-minute drive from central Beijing, which was one of the areas hit hardest by this week's storms.
'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,' said Yu Weiguo, the Communist Party secretary for Miyun, expressing his condolences and adding it was a 'bitter lesson'.
'This showed that our contingency plan had flaws, and our understanding of extreme weather was inadequate,' Yu said.
The care centre 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.
Torrential rains began a week ago and peaked around Beijing and its surrounding provinces on Monday.
In the space of a few days, the hilly Miyun district in the northeast of the capital saw rainfall of up to 573.5mm (22.6 inches). By comparison, the average annual precipitation in Beijing is around 600mm (23.6 inches).
The Miyun Reservoir, the largest in northern China, saw record-breaking water levels during the rains.
The Qingshui River, which runs through Taishitun feeding into the reservoir and is normally a small stream, was flowing at 1,500 times its normal volume on Monday morning when the disaster struck, Yu said.
One Beijing resident's 87-year-old mother managed to get out of the elder care centre in Miyun, Caixin reported.
'She doesn't know where she got the strength, but she managed to climb onto the windowsill,' the woman's daughter said, noting her mother's roommate was unable to escape and drowned.
Hundreds of thousands affected
At a news conference on Thursday, Beijing's Deputy Mayor Xia Linmao said at least 44 people died over the past week in the city.
In total, more than 300,000 people have been affected by the rain and flooding in the capital, with more than 24,000 homes, 242 bridges and 756km (470 miles) of roads damaged, said Xia, citing preliminary figures.
In neighbouring Hebei province, authorities announced an additional eight deaths on Thursday and 16 deaths total this week.
At least 31 people were missing in Beijing and Hebei province, authorities said.
Meanwhile, in northern Shanxi province, authorities said 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.
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Qatar Tribune
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Al Jazeera
5 days ago
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China flooding kills dozens, including 31 trapped at elderly care home
Torrential rains and flooding across northern China have killed dozens of people, authorities say, including more than 30 elderly residents who were trapped at a care facility in a suburb of the capital Beijing. Officials said on Thursday that 31 people died at the Taishitun Town Elderly Care Center in the Miyun district, about a 90-minute drive from central Beijing, which was one of the areas hit hardest by this week's storms. '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,' said Yu Weiguo, the Communist Party secretary for Miyun, expressing his condolences and adding it was a 'bitter lesson'. 'This showed that our contingency plan had flaws, and our understanding of extreme weather was inadequate,' Yu said. The care centre 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. Torrential rains began a week ago and peaked around Beijing and its surrounding provinces on Monday. In the space of a few days, the hilly Miyun district in the northeast of the capital saw rainfall of up to 573.5mm (22.6 inches). By comparison, the average annual precipitation in Beijing is around 600mm (23.6 inches). The Miyun Reservoir, the largest in northern China, saw record-breaking water levels during the rains. The Qingshui River, which runs through Taishitun feeding into the reservoir and is normally a small stream, was flowing at 1,500 times its normal volume on Monday morning when the disaster struck, Yu said. One Beijing resident's 87-year-old mother managed to get out of the elder care centre in Miyun, Caixin reported. 'She doesn't know where she got the strength, but she managed to climb onto the windowsill,' the woman's daughter said, noting her mother's roommate was unable to escape and drowned. Hundreds of thousands affected At a news conference on Thursday, Beijing's Deputy Mayor Xia Linmao said at least 44 people died over the past week in the city. In total, more than 300,000 people have been affected by the rain and flooding in the capital, with more than 24,000 homes, 242 bridges and 756km (470 miles) of roads damaged, said Xia, citing preliminary figures. In neighbouring Hebei province, authorities announced an additional eight deaths on Thursday and 16 deaths total this week. At least 31 people were missing in Beijing and Hebei province, authorities said. Meanwhile, in northern Shanxi province, authorities said 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.
