Typhoon Doksuri, downgraded to a storm after hitting the neighboring Philippines, has swept through parts of China in recent days with torrential rains. Beijing and its greater region have been particularly affected.
Thanks to a lull on the weather front, clean-up operations continue on Saturday after the worst rainfall in years, which destroyed infrastructure and flooded entire neighborhoods.
The most affected area is by far Hebei, a neighbor of Beijing, where huge expanses of water submerge the province for miles around. In Baoding, which has a population of 11.5 million and is known for its steel production, more than a million are affected by these floods, according to the town hall.
She reported on Saturday at least 10 dead and 18 missing in her jurisdiction. This assessment carried out at midday (04:00 GMT) could still increase. The precedent for Beijing and Hebei was at least 20 dead and dated back to Tuesday. More than 600,000 people in Baoding located in areas deemed to be at risk have so far been evacuated, local authorities said.
Streets turned into rivers
The situation is also critical in Zhuozhou, large parts of which are submerged under the waves. Spectacular aerial photos of the city, taken by AFP on Wednesday, show shopping streets transformed into brown-water rivers.
Others show farmland completely submerged. Several hundred kilometers away, torrential rains hit northeast China for the second consecutive day on Saturday, in particular the provinces bordering Russia and North Korea.
According to the New China agency, these bad weather have so far killed at least one person in this part of the country, which is essential for cereal production. Images shared on social networks show arteries in the metropolis of Jilin (3.6 million inhabitants), capital of the region of the same name, won by a torrent of muddy water.
In the neighboring province of Liaoning (northeast), six reservoirs exceeded the alert threshold, according to New China. The level of the main course of the Liaohe, one of the largest rivers in the country, exceeds the allowed limits by 33 cm, adds the agency.
Heat wave and bad weather
China has been facing extreme weather and locally unusual temperatures in recent months, exacerbated by climate change, scientists say. Last month, Beijing and its region broke temperature records with locally over 40°C.
Chinese authorities announced on Friday that natural disasters in the country left 147 people dead or missing in July. A report that only includes the very first victims of Typhoon Doksuri, which has affected China since the beginning of the week.
The rains that have hit Beijing are the heaviest since records began 140 years ago, according to local meteorological services. A red alert remains in effect Saturday in Beijing due to “geological hazards” such as landslides, despite a relatively sunny day.