
Beijing floods: 30 killed as China sees summer of extreme weather
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30 dead as northern China hit by heavy rain, landslides
30 dead as northern China hit by heavy rain, landslides. Second-highest rainstorm warning for Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, and ten other provinces. Death toll was highest in Miyun, a suburban district northeast of the city centre. Over 80,000 people evacuated in the Chinese capital alone, local state-run outlet Beijing Daily said on social media. China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists say drive intense heat and make extreme weather more frequent and more frequent in the summer months. But scientists say it is also a global energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy-neutral by 2060 by reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by 2050, and by 2070 by 50% by 2080, or by 2075.. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
Over 80,000 evacuated amid second-highest rainstorm warning for Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, and ten other provinces
Jul 29, 2025
An aerial view shows a flooded public exercise center after heavy rains at Taishitun village in Miyun district, on the outskirts of Beijing, on July 28. (Photo: AFP)
By AFP, Miyun
Heavy rain in Beijing killed 30 people and forced authorities to evacuate tens of thousands as swathes of northern China were lashed by torrential downpours that sparked deadly landslides, state media said on July 29.
Weather authorities have issued their second-highest rainstorm warning for the capital, neighboring Hebei and Tianjin, as well as ten other provinces in northern, eastern and southern China, state news agency Xinhua said.
The rains are expected to last into July 30, it added.
As of midnight on July 28, “the latest round of heavy rainstorms has left 30 people dead in Beijing,” Xinhua said, citing the city’s municipal flood control headquarters.
Over 80,000 people have been evacuated in the Chinese capital alone, local state-run outlet Beijing Daily said on social media.
The death toll was highest in Miyun, a suburban district northeast of the city centre, it said.
“This time the rain was unusually heavy; it’s not normally like this,” a resident of Miyun, surnamed Jiang, said as water streamed down the road outside her house.
“The road is full of water, so people aren’t going to work,” she said.
Also badly affected were Huairou district in the north of the city and Fangshan in the southwest, state media said.
Dozens of roads have been closed and over 130 villages have lost electricity, Beijing Daily said.
“Please pay attention to weather forecasts and warnings and do not go to risk areas unless necessary,” the outlet said.
In Miyun on July 28, a resident surnamed Liu said he watched floodwater sweep away vehicles outside his apartment block early morning.
Journalists there saw a crawler lift people and a dog to safety as rescuers waded through water up to their knees.
Nearby, in the town of Mujiayu, they saw a reservoir release a torrent of water.
Power lines were swept away by muddy currents while military vehicles and ambulances ploughed flooded streets.
Firefighters also rescued 48 people trapped in an elderly care centre, CCTV reported.
‘All-out efforts’
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities late on July 28 to plan for worst-case scenarios and rush the relocation of residents of flood-threatened areas.
Beijing Daily said local officials had “made all-out efforts to search and rescue missing persons… and made every effort to reduce casualties.”
The government has allocated 350 million yuan ($49 million) for disaster relief in nine regions hit by heavy rains, state broadcaster CCTV said on July 29.
They include northern Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, northeastern Jilin, eastern Shandong, and southern Guangdong.
A separate 200 million yuan has been set aside for the capital, the broadcaster said.
In Hebei province, which encircles the capital, a landslide in a village near the city of Chengde killed four people, with eight still missing, CCTV reported.
Local authorities have issued flash flood warnings through July 29 evening, with Chengde and surrounding areas under the highest alert, Hebei’s radio and television station said.
In 2023, heavy rain killed over 80 people across northern and northeastern China, including at least 29 people in Hebei, where severe flooding destroyed homes and crop fields.
Some reports at the time suggested the province shouldered the burden of a government decision to divert the deluge away from the capital.
Climate change factor
Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat.
China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists say drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense.
But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.
Flash floods in the eastern Shandong province killed two people and left 10 missing this month.
A landslide on a highway in Sichuan province this month also killed five people after it swept several cars down a mountainside.–ucanews.com
Beijing’s extreme rain ‘trap’ kills at least 30, displaces thousands
Extreme weather kills at least 30 people in Beijing after a year’s worth of rain fell in less than a week. At least 28 deaths reported in the district of Miyun and two in Yanqing, Xinhua reported. Rainfall in the city of Xingtai in the neighbouring Hebei province exceeded 1,000 mm in two days – double the yearly average. Hundreds of flights and a number of train services were delayed or suspended as the storms peaked on Monday night, stretching the capital’s disaster management capabilities. China’s usually arid north has seen record rains in recent years, with some scientists linking it to global warming. The most intense downpour occurred on Saturday in Beijing’s hilly Huairou, where 95.3 mm ofRain fell in one hour, with Miyun experiencing rainfall of up to 573.5 mm (22.6 inches) The average annual rainfall in Beijing is around 600 mm (1.4 inches) in some areas.
More than 80,000 Beijing residents relocated
At least eight dead, villages flooded on Monday in neighbouring regions
BEIJING, July 29 (Reuters) – Extreme weather killed at least 30 people in Beijing after a year’s worth of rain fell in less than a week, forcing the relocation of more than 80,000 people, damaging roads and cutting off power and communications in more than 130 villages.
Hundreds of flights and a number of train services were delayed or suspended as the storms peaked on Monday night, stretching the capital’s disaster management capabilities and prompting some experts to call the city a rain “trap”.
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Most of the rain had converged on Beijing’s mountainous north near the Great Wall, with at least 28 deaths reported in the district of Miyun and two in Yanqing, Xinhua reported. The state-run news agency did not say when or how the deaths occurred.
“The flood came in an instant, you just had no buffer,” said Zhai, 33, who runs a grocery shop in Miyun, now a disaster zone amid collapsed bridges, mangled cars and shattered pipelines.
She showed Reuters the marks left behind as the floodwaters receded. They had risen to 1.5 metres (4.92 ft), submerging her shop for hours and ruining her food and beverage stocks.
Liu, who owns a nearby restaurant, was on the verge of tears as she stared at the overturned stools and mud-covered table-tops in her eatery.
Large appliances like fridges had sat submerged for hours and were likely damaged, said her husband Yang, estimating the damage at more than 100,000 yuan ($14,000).
‘EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE’
Heavy rains began on July 23 and peaked around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, with Miyun experiencing rainfall of up to 573.5 mm (22.6 inches) – levels local media described as “extremely destructive”. The average annual rainfall in Beijing is around 600 mm.
The most intense downpour occurred on Saturday in Beijing’s hilly Huairou, where 95.3 mm of rain fell in one hour.
“The cumulative amount of precipitation has been extremely high – reaching 80–90% of the annual total in just a few days in some areas,” said Xuebin Zhang of the University of Victoria in Canada and CEO of the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium.
Item 1 of 4 Men walk past fallen trees and damaged corn plants, after heavy rainfall flooded the area in Miyun district of Beijing, China July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo [1/4] Men walk past fallen trees and damaged corn plants, after heavy rainfall flooded the area in Miyun district of Beijing, China July 29, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
“Very few systems are designed to handle such an intense volume of rainfall over such a short period,” Zhang said.
The local topography – mountains to the west and north – “trapped” the moist air and forced it upward, amplifying the deluge, he said.
China’s usually arid north has seen record rains in recent years, with some scientists linking it to global warming.
In the summer of 2023, heavy rain and flooding killed at least 33 people in Beijing. Rainfall in the city of Xingtai in the neighbouring Hebei province exceeded 1,000 mm in two days – double the yearly average.
‘FLOOD STILL COMING’
Heavy rain also pounded the province of Hebei and the city of Tianjin near Beijing.
In Hebei, eight people were killed as a landslide hit a village on Monday, after the region received six months’ worth of rain over the weekend. Four remained missing.
In two villages in Tianjin on Monday, only the roofs of single-storey houses were visible, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The emergency management ministry said the disaster relief situation had been “complex and severe”.
Residents pleaded for faster rescue efforts in posts on social media platform Weibo.
“The flood is still coming, and there is still no power or signal, and I still can’t get in touch with my family!” a Weibo user wrote on Tuesday morning.
($1 = 7.1767 Chinese yuan)
Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Liz Lee in Beijing and Farah Master in Hong Kong; Editing by Stephen Coates, Saad Sayeed and Himani Sarkar
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30 killed as rainstorms wreak havoc in Beijing
The deaths occurred in Beijing’s northern mountainous districts, with 28 in Miyun and two in Yanqing. A total of 80,332 people have been relocated across the city. Authorities in Beijing have warned the public to stay away from fast-flowing river sections. Beijing’s Palace Museum and the National Museum of China were also closed to the public on Tuesday. China’s national observatory also issued an orange alert for rainstorms, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system. Some regions will see up to 300 mm of rainfall within 24 hours, according to the observatory.
The deaths occurred in Beijing’s northern mountainous districts, with 28 in Miyun and two in Yanqing, as of Monday night, the Beijing municipal flood control headquarters said.
A total of 80,332 people have been relocated across the city, and the maximum rainfall was registered in Miyun, reaching 543.4 mm, according to local authorities.
The rainstorms damaged 31 road sections and disrupted the power supply in 136 villages.
In recent days, extreme and severe convective weather brought by warm, moist air from the edge of the subtropical high has occurred in Miyun and other areas in Beijing.
At 8 p.m. Monday, the Beijing municipal flood control headquarters activated the highest level of its citywide flood-control emergency response mechanism.
Authorities in Beijing have warned the public to stay away from fast-flowing river sections, Xinhua news agency reported.
Citing safety concerns amid heavy rainstorms, Beijing’s Palace Museum and the National Museum of China were also closed to the public on Tuesday.
The decision comes as authorities in Beijing issued alerts for severe rain and potential flooding, with parts of the capital bracing for torrential downpours.
Both museums announced that all pre-booked tickets will be either refunded or rescheduled.
China’s national observatory also issued an orange alert for rainstorms, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system, with this alert covering many parts of the country.
Heavy rain is expected across numerous regions, including the capital Beijing and neighbouring Hebei and Tianjin, as well as Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan Island on Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Meteorological Centre forecast.
Some regions will see up to 300 mm of rainfall within 24 hours, according to the observatory.
It advised local authorities to prepare emergency response measures and remain on high alert for natural disasters such as flash floods and mudslides.
The centre also renewed a yellow alert for severe convective weather in multiple regions of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thunderstorms, gales and hail will hit areas including the northeast region, the northern region and regions between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, the centre said.
China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
China floods: 30 killed in Beijing after days of heavy rain
Eight relatives – including three elderly people in their 70s and two young children – are currently trapped in their old family home in Liulimiao Town, in northeast Beijing’s Huairou District. A young woman said her father, unprepared for the scale of the disaster, initially tried to save their car – but during the attempt, a telegraph pole fell and crushed it.
Image source, Getty Images
As news of the floods continues to come in, many are anxiously waiting for updates about their loved ones.
A young woman told the BBC that eight of her relatives – including three elderly people in their 70s and two young children – are currently trapped in their old family home in Liulimiao Town, in northeast Beijing’s Huairou District.
“They would rather stay in the old house than try to walk downstream,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. “The road has been washed away. If they get stuck on a broken road, it could be even more dangerous.”
She explained that her relatives’ newer house, located closer to the river, had already collapsed as floodwaters surged through the area. The older home, while slightly safer, is at the foot of a hill and faces the risk of landslides.
She said her father, unprepared for the scale of the disaster, initially tried to save their car – but during the attempt, a telegraph pole fell and crushed it.
“He was so lucky,” she recalled. “There was a big tree nearby that he grabbed onto. If it wasn’t there, the flood would’ve swept him away too.”
30 Lives Lost as China Faces Unprecedented Summer of Extreme Weather Chaos
Heavy rains and floods in northern China have killed at least 30, evacuated over 80,000, and prompted President Xi Jinping to initiate rescue efforts. Flooding in China underscores a global warning about the increasing frequency of extreme weather events linked to climate change. Over 90% of China’s natural disaster losses this year stem from flooding. Emergency management costs have reached $7.5 billion, indicating a growing economic threat.
www.bbc.com
Heavy rains and floods have devastated northern China, leading to at least 30 fatalities and the evacuation of over 80,000 residents. As of 2025-07-29 13:22:00, the situation remains dire, with President Xi Jinping urging “all-out” rescue efforts.
6 Key Takeaways At least 30 deaths reported in Beijing.
Over 80,000 people evacuated to safety.
President Xi Jinping calls for rescue efforts.
200 million yuan allocated for recovery.
Extreme weather linked to climate change.
Flooding caused significant economic losses.
The floods have wreaked havoc particularly in the outskirts of Beijing, where infrastructure has been severely damaged. With record heatwaves earlier this month and ongoing extreme weather, the Chinese government is mobilizing resources for recovery.
Fast Answer: Northern China faces severe flooding, resulting in significant casualties and evacuations, highlighting the urgent need for climate resilience globally.
This disaster raises critical questions about climate change’s impact on natural disasters. How can nations better prepare for such extreme weather events? The following points illustrate the urgency:
Over 90% of China’s natural disaster losses this year stem from flooding.
Emergency management costs have reached $7.5 billion, indicating a growing economic threat.
Residents are increasingly vulnerable due to inadequate infrastructure in flood-prone areas.
The ongoing flooding in China underscores a global warning about the increasing frequency of extreme weather events linked to climate change.
As the world grapples with climate challenges, it is essential to prioritize disaster preparedness and resilience strategies to safeguard communities everywhere.