BEIJING: In a grim turn of events, the picturesque mountains surrounding China’s capital, Beijing, have become a site of tragedy as heavy rains and flooding wreak havoc on the region.
As reported by Chinese state media on Tuesday, the disaster has claimed the lives of 11 people, while 27 others remain missing. The situation is so dire that train stations have been forced to close, and authorities have undertaken the evacuation of vulnerable communities to school gyms in an effort to protect lives and property.
The relentless downpours have transformed serene landscapes into a scene of devastation, with homes submerged, roads torn apart, and cars stacked upon each other. The intensity of the rainfall is highly unusual for Beijing, which typically enjoys a moderate and dry climate. Areas in northern China, which are rarely subject to such torrential rainfalls, have witnessed an alarming surge in the death toll due to flooding, according to Arab News.
China’s large geographical expanse and diverse climate often subject the country to seasonal flooding, particularly in the semitropical south. However, the severity and frequency of these floods appear to be escalating, as some northern regions this year have reported the worst floods in half a century.
In the not-so-distant past, in early July, the southwestern region of Chongqing suffered the wrath of floods that claimed the lives of at least 15 people. Additionally, around 5,590 individuals in the far northwestern province of Liaoning were compelled to evacuate their homes to avoid the calamity. The central province of Hubei has also been severely affected, with residents trapped in their vehicles and homes as relentless rainstorms pounded the area.
The historic flooding events of 1998 remain etched in China’s collective memory, as they stand as the deadliest and most destructive floods in recent history. During that year, floods claimed the lives of 4,150 people, primarily along the Yangtze River. The tragedy serves as a haunting reminder of the relentless power of nature and the urgent need for better disaster preparedness and response measures.
Just last year, in 2021, the central province of Henan faced its own harrowing ordeal when more than 300 lives were lost to flooding. Record-breaking rainfall inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou on July 20, turning streets into raging rivers and flooding parts of the subway system.
