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Flooding kills one, displaces thousands in China amid sweltering heat

Beijing experiences a break from scorching temperatures for the first time since 1961, but heavy floods in the central and northern provinces displace thousands and cause substantial damages.

AP

More than 10,000 Hunan residents were evacuated due to flooding. / Photo: AP

Torrential rain triggered flash floods in northern China killing one person and sweeping away two, state media reported, the latest victims of weeks of extreme weather that has brought misery to many and shows no sign of ending.

The heavy rain, heat and recent hail have been damaging infrastructure, crops and endangering livestock across the country. It has also been testing the patience of many of China's 1.4 billion people and raising fears of climate change.

Such a streak was last recorded in 1961 — decades before most Beijing residents had air conditioning or even fans. A lack of rainfall may be contributing to the heat, with the typically dry capital receiving even less than usual this year.

While temperatures have since moderated — Monday's temperature at midday was 33 C (91 F) — they are expected to rise again this week to as high as 39.6 Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) in Beijing and other parts of the country, authorities said.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 people were urgently moved to safety due to flooding in the central province of Hunan, the Xiang’xi Emergency Management Bureau on Sunday.

Rescue workers in parts of China have been carrying out evacuation efforts as torrential rains triggered floods and landslides. Heavy downpours pummeled Liupanshui City in southwest China's Guizhou Province, flooding streets and trapping residents. On June 30, multiple road… pic.twitter.com/H2FO6JjwLR
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) July 2, 2023

Massive damage

Around 70 houses collapsed, 2,283 were damaged, and farm fields were flooded. Losses so far have been estimated at least 575 million yuan ($79 million).

To the north in Shaanxi province’s Zhenba county, authorities reported the worst flooding in 50 years had washed out roads and damaged homes.

The heat this year has been unusual, although China has regular summer flooding. Eleven provinces — around half of China's land area — were expected to receive heavy rains in the upcoming days, mainly in the humid south.

In 2021, more than 300 people died in the central province of Henan. Record rainfall inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou on July 20 that year, turning streets into rushing rivers and flooding at least part of a subway line.

China’s worst floods in recent history were in 1998, when 4,150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River.