Devastating floods in China's Bejing, Sichuan province, claim 33 lives; scores missing

At least 33 people have been killed, and 18 individuals remain unaccounted for following the most severe rainfall on record in Beijing, as announced by officials on Wednesday.

China's capital has recently experienced unprecedented heavy rains, leading to considerable damage to infrastructure and extensive flooding in various suburbs and nearby regions.

In addition to this, floods in the southwestern Sichuan province of China claimed the lives of seven people on the same day, according to reports from local media.

Authorities in Beijing reported on Wednesday that the death toll due to the recent adverse weather conditions had reached 33, nearly three times the count provided by officials on Tuesday, primarily resulting from flooding and structural collapses.

Xia Linmao, the vice-mayor of Beijing, conveyed his heartfelt condolences during a press conference, which was broadcast by CCTV, stating, "I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to those who lost their lives while on duty and to the unfortunate victims."

Numerous casualties have been recorded due to the floods across the northern regions of China.

Beijing officials disclosed that out of the 147 deaths or disappearances last month, 142 were attributed to natural disasters, particularly flooding and geological incidents, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management in China.

Hebei province, neighbouring Beijing, accounted for 15 reported deaths and 22 individuals still missing. Meanwhile, in the northeastern province of Jilin, 14 fatalities were reported, and one person went missing on Sunday.

Further north in Heilongjiang, state media highlighted that numerous rivers had witnessed water levels exceeding "warning markers" over the past few days.

Zheng Xiaokang, a police officer from Jiangxi village in the province, shared his experience, stating, "The recent flooding still haunts me. Faced with incessant downpours and rising river waters, the consequences would have been catastrophic if we hadn't managed to evacuate the villagers in a timely manner," as reported by China's Xinhua News Agency.

Millions of people worldwide have been impacted by extreme weather events and prolonged heatwaves in recent weeks. Scientists emphasise that these incidents are exacerbated by climate change.

Turning to the torrential situation in Sichuan, CCTV reported seven casualties on Wednesday, with four individuals successfully rescued from the water.

The incident occurred around 10 am near a southwestern embankment close to Chengdu, the provincial capital.

Over 10 people were unexpectedly swept away by a surge of water while they were reportedly taking photographs at a popular tourist site.

Footage from CCTV showed several individuals struggling to stay afloat as a powerful current propelled them downstream while onlookers from the water's edge shouted in an attempt to help.

The precise cause of this sudden deluge of water remains unclear. Meteorological authorities in the nearby city of Qionglai continued to issue a yellow warning for rain, predicting the possibility of "more than 50 mm" of precipitation over the ensuing six hours in specific parts of the administrative district, as of 10:40am on Wednesday.