Death toll rises to 30 in northern China floods

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Aug 2023 17:34

Authorities in Baoding announce the death of at least 10, saying 18 others are still missing.

A man washes his clothes in a stream near debris left over after flood waters devastated the village of Nanxinfang on the outskirts of Beijing, on August 4, 2023. (AP)

Officials said Saturday that at least 10 people died in floods in a city close to Beijing, raising the total number of fatalities from the recent severe rains in northern China to at least 30.

Authorities in Baoding, which is 90 miles (150 kilometers) from Beijing, confirmed the toll and said 18 people were still missing.

Since records began 140 years ago, Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon that made landfall on mainland China last Friday, has brought the region's worst rainstorms ever.

Over 600,000 of Baoding's 11.5 million residents had been evacuated from locations deemed to be at risk by noon on Saturday (0400 GMT), officials reported.

The regions bordering Russia and DPRK were severely pounded by the torrential rain that struck northeast China on Saturday.

Due to "geological risks", including as landslides linked to the inclement weather, a red alert is still in effect in Beijing.

Clean-up efforts are still being made after the torrential rains wrecked infrastructure and inundated entire regions.

China has recently seen severe weather, from fatal flooding to heatwaves that broke records.

Following the country's capital experiencing the worst rains on record, China reported Friday that natural disasters led to 147 deaths or disappearances last month.

According to China's Ministry of Emergency Management, geological catastrophes or flooding led to 142 of the country's documented deaths or disappearances in July.

Streets turning into rivers

Dramatic aerial photos shot by AFP on Wednesday in Zhuozhou showed shopping avenues turned into rivers of brown water, while other images showed nearby farms entirely inundated and floodwater extending across several kilometers.

Rescuers were seen by AFP using boats to transport instant noodles, bread, and water to locals who were unable or not wanting to leave their submerged homes.

Millions of people have been affected by extreme weather conditions and protracted heatwaves in recent weeks, which scientists warn are being made worse by climate change.

While the typhoon had brought the rain, Ma Jun, the director of the Beijing-based NGO the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, said climate change-related rising ocean temperatures were also to blame for the unusual weather.

"China has suffered unprecedented extreme heatwaves since last year... This year, there are record-breaking high temperatures in Northern China," Ma told AFP this week.

"These heatwaves are linked to global warming, and this is what most climate scientists around the world tend to agree," he said.