Beijing: Authorities in Beijing have launched all-out disaster relief and rescue operations after a fresh spell of intense rainstorms left 30 people dead, damaging roads, disrupting power supply, and prompting mass evacuation.
The deaths occurred in Beijing’s northern mountainous
districts, with 28 in Miyun and two in Yanqing, according to local
authorities. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday ordered all-out efforts to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property in the fight against rain-triggered floods and geological disasters affecting some parts of China.
Xi said all-out search and rescue must be conducted for those missing or trapped, and residents in flood-threatened areas must be promptly relocated and resettled to minimise casualties.
Across Beijing alone, more than 80,000 people have been relocated, while the rainstorms damaged 31 road sections and disrupted the power supply in 136 villages, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. “Heavy rain started to hit on Saturday night, flooding some homes in the town,” said Cui Di, deputy chief of Shicheng Township in the hardest-hit Miyun.
He said local authorities have also prepared essential supplies, including mattresses, blankets, bread, and eggs, for the displaced residents.
China’s Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday allocated 350 million yuan in central government disaster relief funds to nine provincial-level regions, including Beijing, which were affected by floods.