At least 30 killed as storms lash Beijing

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At least 30 people have been killed as heavy storms lashed Beijing, while authorities relocated tens of thousands of people from the region around the Chinese capital after almost a full season’s worth of rain fell overnight.

More than 80,000 people have been moved following the storms, which caused significant damage in the mountainous areas north of Beijing, according to state broadcaster China Central Television.

President Xi Jinping said on Monday that heavy rainfall had resulted in “significant casualties and property damage” in Beijing as well as China’s northern provinces of Hebei, Shandong and Jilin, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday called on authorities to step up rescue efforts after a night of heavy rain in Miyun, a northern district of Beijing, where 28 of the deaths occurred.

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The heavy rain started over the weekend, forcing some public transport services to shut down and major tourist attractions to close. Xinhua reported that more than 30 roads had been damaged and power was cut off in 136 villages. Communications in the area have also been disrupted by damaged fibre-optic cables. 

Beijing authorities urged residents to remain indoors and not report to work unless necessary, as it issued the highest level in its four-step warning system.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory said that 195.4mm of rainfall was recorded in the hardest-hit areas between 8pm on Monday night and 9am on Tuesday. It attributed the intense rainfall to warm and humid air currents, as well as the impact of a typhoon that had travelled northwards after hitting the Philippines last week.

According to the meteorological service, the capital had recorded 420.8mm of rainfall from the start of the wet season on June 1, almost double the average of 240.7mm for the same period in previous years.

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