At least four people have been confirmed dead and thousands displaced after relentless rainfall battered northern China, unleashing a series of devastating floods and landslides across several provinces.
In Hebei province, which surrounds the capital Beijing, a landslide near Chengde city claimed four lives, with eight others reported missing, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Two additional deaths occurred in the region over the weekend due to flood-related incidents.
The rainstorm—described as one of the most severe in recent years—forced emergency evacuations in multiple areas. In Beijing’s flood-ravaged Miyun district, more than 4,000 residents were evacuated. Rescuers braved waist-high waters to retrieve victims and pets trapped in submerged homes. At an elderly care centre, 48 people were safely evacuated by firefighters.
Beijing is currently under the highest alert for flooding and the second-highest warning for rainfall, with the downpour expected to continue through Tuesday morning.
“I’ve never seen so much water before,” said Cui Xueji, a 67-year-old resident of Taishitun village, as he waded through floodwater in slippers. “We did some preparations, but we had no idea that there would be this much.”
In neighbouring Shanxi province, 13 people remain missing after a bus accident caused by rising floodwaters. In Fuping County alone, over 4,600 residents were displaced during the weekend.
Video footage aired on state television showed fast-moving floodwaters engulfing roads, fields, and vehicles. In Miyun, entire streets were submerged, trees uprooted, and power lines swept away. Military vehicles and ambulances struggled through the rising waters, while reservoir authorities in Mujiayu released torrents to prevent further overflow.
The Chinese government has responded swiftly, with the National Development and Reform Commission allocating 50 million yuan ($7 million) for emergency relief and infrastructure recovery in Hebei province.
China faces frequent natural disasters during its summer months, with climate scientists attributing the increasing intensity and frequency of such events to global warming. While China remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
This month alone, flash floods in Shandong province killed two and left ten missing, while a landslide in Sichuan claimed five lives after several cars were swept off a highway.
