Thousands of people evacuated as north-east China hit by more floods
5 August 2023, 14:04
China is struggling with record-breaking rainfall in some areas while others suffer scorching summer heat and drought that threatens crops.
Rain has continued to pelt north-eastern China in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri, as authorities reported more fatalities and missing people while evacuating thousands more.
One person died and five went missing in the city of Shulan in Jilin province, which has seen five straight days of rainfall, according to state media.
More than 14,300 people were evacuated from the city of more than 700,000, according to the local disaster relief agency.
State news agency China News Service showed images of waterlogged streets around homes and factories.
The average precipitation in the city had reached 111.7mm (4.4in) by Friday afternoon.
China is struggling with record-breaking rainfall in some areas while others suffer scorching summer heat and drought that threatens crops.
The heavy rains – remnants of Typhoon Doksuri – have battered northern China since late July, disrupting the lives of millions.
Flooding near Beijing and in neighbouring Hebei province this week killed at least 22 people.
In north-eastern Heilongjiang province, which is known as China’s “great northern granary”, rain inundated farms and flooded streets, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people.
In the city of Shangzhi, heavy rainfall turned roads into rivers and inundated thousands of households.
National emergency management authorities said 25 rivers across Heilongjiang threatened to burst their banks, while disaster relief groups have been dispatched to the province.
In Heilongjiang’s capital Harbin, more than 53,000 people had to be evacuated as multiple reservoirs and rivers exceeded safety levels while some 41,600 hectares (103,000 acres) of crops were damaged.
In the city of Yushu in Jilin province, about 120 kilometres south of Harbin, flooding forced the evacuation of around 19,000 people.
Meanwhile, in Hebei province around Beijing, which saw some of the region’s worst flooding in the past few weeks, authorities issued fresh alerts for rainstorms on Saturday.
Floodwaters in Zhuozhou, south-west of Beijing, started to recede on Saturday, state media reported, allowing some of the 125,000 evacuated residents to return to their homes.
The death toll in the 11 million-strong city of Baoding reached 10 while another 18 people are still missing, local authorities said on Saturday.
Floods damaged roads and washed away bridges in the city’s Yesanpo Scenic Area, a national park known for its gorges and mountains.
