2 Dead as Floods Cause Chaos Across Beijing

Flooding has caused travel chaos across Beijing, with two people confirmed dead in rural Mentougou District.

Authorities have issued a red alert – the most severe flood alert – for the Beijing Municipality. 

Furthermore, heavy rain across the city has led some Beijing Subway stations and public bus routes to temporarily shut down. 

According to Climate Beijing, the following districts can expect 100-150 milliliters of rainfall until around 8am tomorrow, August 1: 

• Mentougou

• Yanqing

• Changping

• Fangshan

• Haidian

• Fengtai

• Shijingshan

• Huairou

• Miyun

Within the districts listed, some areas may see up to 250 milliliters of rainfall. 

Meanwhile, the following districts can expect 70-120 milliliters of rainfall:

• Pinggu

• Shunyi

• Chaoyang

• Dongcheng

• Xicheng

• Daxing

• Tongzhou

Within the districts listed, some areas may see up to 150 milliliters of rainfall. 

Flooding in Rural Areas Leaves 2 Dead

Rural parts of Beijing Municipality – particularly Mentougou and Fangshan districts – have experienced severe flooding.

In Mentougou, two individuals have been confirmed dead, reports The Beijing News. 

The two individuals were found in a river by rescue services this morning, July 31, and pronounced dead at the scene. 

The video below shows rescue workers in Mentougou helping a stranded driver:

Workers repair a bridge damaged by flooding in Mentougou District. Image via Weibo/@深蓝财经

CCTV footage captures flooding in a mountainous area of Fangshan District nearby Zhoukoudian Peking Man archaeological site. Image via Weibo/@长安街知事

Public Transport Affected

In Yanqing District – which includes the Badaling section of the Great Wall – as of 1.30pm today, July 31, all public bus routes have been suspended until further notice. 

The same is true of all public bus routes in Miyun District, as of 3pm today, July 31. 

Meanwhile, the Beijing Subway Yanfang Line – which serves Fangshan District – has suspended all trains until further notice.

Scenic Spots Closed, Public Told to Stay at Home

Most – if not all – scenic spots in Beijing have closed temporarily to the public, including: 

• Tiananmen Square 

• Forbidden City

• Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site

• Temple of Heaven Park

• Old Summer Palace

• New Summer Palace

… and many, many other places. 

Those in Beijing have been told to stay indoors at home, insofar as possible.  

The heavy rain in Beijing and other parts of North China is the result of Typhoon Dussuri which hit Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces especially badly, before moving north. 

READ MORE: WATCH: Typhoon Hits South China as North China Braces for Storms

[Cover image via Weibo/@城里的傻瓜]