BEIJING: Thirty people were killed in Beijing as of midnight on Monday (Jul 28) as almost a year’s worth of rain hit the capital in a matter of days, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
The deaths were reported in Beijing’s mountainous northern districts, with 28 in Miyun and two in Yanqing. State media did not specify when or how the deaths occurred.
Heavy rain started last Wednesday and intensified around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, with the capital getting rainfall of up to 543.4mm in its northern districts, Xinhua said. The average annual rainfall in Beijing is around 600mm.
Authorities relocated more than 80,000 residents of Beijing as the rain hit, Xinhua reported. Roads and communication infrastructure were damaged, and power to 136 villages were cut off as of midnight Monday.
The most intense rain occurred on Saturday in Beijing’s hilly Huairou, which saw 95.3 mm of rain in one hour.
