Doksuri storm in China: At least 20 dead, 19 missing as Beijing gets battered by rainstorms

At least 20people have died while 19 remained missing as heavy rainfall continued to batter Beijing for a fourth consecutive day, Chinese state media CCTV reported on Tuesday (August 1). Doksuri,one of the strongest typhoons to hit the mainland in years, has forced authorities to evacuate more than 52,000from the capital city while over 100 mountain roads were sealed as a precautionary move.

The rivers in the country have swollen to record levels, forcing the authorities to use a flood storage reservoir in Beijing for the first time since it was first built, over 25 years ago. A military unit comprising 26 soldiers and four helicopters was pressed into service on Tuesday to deliver hundreds of food packages and ponchos to people stranded in and around a train station in Beijing's hard-hit Mentougou district.

Watch |Rain soaks Northern China as Typhoon Doksuri makes its way to Beijing

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"On July 31, areas in Beijing including Fangshan and Mentougou suffered serious damage from water, causing three trains to get trapped on their routes, and road traffic in some areas was completely cut off," CCTV reported.

The average rainfall in Beijing reached 176.9 mm between Saturday night and Monday afternoon with the maximum recorded rainfall in Mentougou hitting 580.9 mm, according to the state media. Around 150,000 households inMentougou have no running water, according to the newspaper Beijing Daily. Authorities had dispatched 45 water tankers to offer emergency supplies to the affected population.

Beijing residents have been instructednot to go outside unless necessary, leaving the usually buzzing streets mostly deserted over the weekend.

Both airports in the Chinese capital cancelled more than 200 flights on Monday afternoon, with close to 600 delayed, said a report by Reuters citing data from flight tracking app Flight Master.

Upcoming storm in China

Chinese forecasters also warned about the approach of another storm named ‘Khanun’, which is expected to rapidly gain strength and strike China’s densely populated coast next week. While Doksuri got downgraded from a typhoon, the Chinese weather agency upgraded Khanun to typhoon from tropical storm status on Sunday.

According to scientists, China is experiencingthese extreme weather phenomena due to climate change. While summers are recording extremely high temperatures, the subsequent months experience heavy rainfall.

(With inputs from agencies)

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