ZHUOZHOU, China (AP) — China’s capital has seen its heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years in recent days as remnants of Typhoon Doksuri inundated the region, turning streets into waterways where emergency teams used boats. rubber to rescue stranded residents.
The city recorded 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said on Wednesday.
Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei were hit by severe flooding due to record rainfall, with waters reaching dangerous levels. The rain destroyed roads and cut off electricity and even drinking water pipes. It flooded the rivers that surround the capital, leaving cars inundated, while dragging others onto the bridges intended for pedestrians.
The number of confirmed deaths from torrential rains around Beijing rose to 21 on Wednesday after the body of a rescue worker was recovered. Wang Hong-chun, 41, was with other rescuers in a rubber boat when it capsized into a fast-flowing river. Four of his teammates survived.
At least 26 people are still missing due to the rains.
Among the hardest-hit areas is Zhuozhou, a small city in Hebei province that borders southwest of Beijing. On Tuesday night, police issued a request on social media for lights to help with the rescue work.
Rescue teams traversed the flooded city in rubber boats as they evacuated residents who had been trapped in their homes without running water, gas or electricity since Tuesday afternoon.
“I didn’t think it would be that bad, I thought it was just a little bit of water and it would recede,” said Wang Huiying, 54. He ended up spending the night on the third floor of his building when water leaked into the first floor, where his steam bun shop is located. All the machinery is now under water.
It is unknown how many people are trapped in the flood-affected areas in the city and surrounding towns. Rescue teams from other provinces arrived in Zhuozhou to help with the evacuations.
“We have to seize every second, every minute to save people,” said Zhong Hongjun, head of a rescue team in the coastal Jiangsu province. Zhong said he had been working since 2 am Wednesday when they arrived, and expects to work until evening. They have rescued about 200 people so far. “Many of the people we save are the elderly and children,” he said.
On Wednesday, floodwaters in Hebei’s Gu’an county, which borders Zhuozhou, reached the middle of a pole where a surveillance camera was installed.
Gu’an County resident Liu Jiwen, 58, was evacuated from his village on Tuesday night. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s a natural disaster,” he said.
Two other people were trying to get through the flooded areas to rescue a family member trapped in a nearby village.
About 850,000 people have been relocated, local authorities in Hebei province said.
The previous record for rainfall was set in 1891, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said on Wednesday, when the city received 609 millimeters (24 inches) of rain. The first precise measurements made by machines date back to 1883.
Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, called the recent rains “extreme.” Last year’s total rainfall in Beijing did not even exceed 500 millimeters (19.6 inches).
Ma said there should be a review of how cities are planned because some places experience repeated flooding. “We need to avoid building large-scale constructions…in low-lying areas,” Ma said.
Doksuri’s record rainfall, now downgraded to a tropical storm, may not be the last. Typhoon Khanun, which hit Japan on Wednesday, is expected to head towards Porcelain later this week. The powerful storm, with surface winds up to 180 kph (111 mph), could also hit taiwan before it arrives in China.
Thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in schools and other public buildings in the suburbs of Beijing and in nearby cities. The central government is disbursing 44 million yuan (6.1 million US dollars) for disaster relief in affected provinces.
The severity of the flooding took the Chinese capital by surprise. Beijing usually has dry summers, but this year it had an unprecedented hot spell.
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Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen and researcher Wanqing Chen contributed to this report.
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