Beijing Floods Kill 30, Evacuate 80,000

At least 30 people have died and more than 80,000 residents have been evacuated in Beijing after torrential rains triggered severe flooding and landslides, mainly in the city's mountainous districts of Miyun and Yanqing. The rainfall exceeded 21 inches (543 mm) in some areas, causing widespread damage to infrastructure, electricity outages in 136 villages, and destruction of vehicles and trees. In neighboring Hebei province, a landslide resulted in additional fatalities and missing persons. Authorities responded by issuing the highest-level rain and flood alerts, relocating residents, closing schools, suspending construction, and releasing water from a dangerously full reservoir in Miyun. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search and rescue effort and called for further measures to minimize casualties as more rain was forecast. The disaster has underscored the vulnerability of Beijing’s rural outskirts to extreme weather.