China’s State Council focuses on national flood relief as Beijing toll rises to 33
- Premier Li Qiang convenes cabinet meeting as rescue efforts continue nationwide, with north and northeast worst affected
- Li calls for authorities to do their utmost while maintaining stability in society, while Beijing officials confirm record rainfall
The death toll from Beijing’s devastating floods rose to 33, with 18 people still missing, on Wednesday, as Premier Li Qiang convened a meeting of the State Council – China’s cabinet – focused on national flood relief.
Five of those among the latest confirmed fatalities, as of midnight on Tuesday, died while taking part in the disaster relief effort after Typhoon Doksuri hit the Chinese capital with its heaviest rainfall in decades, from July 29 to August 2.
The updated death toll is three times higher than the previous update last Tuesday, when authorities said the floods had caused 11 deaths, with 27 people missing in the city.
On Wednesday morning, Beijing vice-mayor Xia Linmao said the capital was hit by “historically rare torrential rains”, with 60 per cent of the average annual rainfall falling in 83 hours.
City officials said a reservoir in the northern district of Changping recorded 745mm (29.3 inches) of rainfall between 8pm on July 29 and 7am on August 2, the highest recorded at a single location in Beijing for such a period in 140 years.
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The flooding has affected 1.29 million people across the city, with 59,000 homes collapsing and another 147,000 seriously damaged, according to the Beijing municipal government.
