Update: All-out rescue efforts underway as rainstorms leave 30 dead in Beijing

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- All-out disaster relief and rescue operations are underway in Beijing as the latest round of intense rainstorms had left 30 people dead in the Chinese capital as of midnight Monday, damaging roads, disrupting power supply and prompting mass evacuation.

The deaths occurred in Beijing's northern mountainous districts, with 28 in Miyun and two in Yanqing, according to local authorities.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping made an important instruction regarding flood control and disaster relief work, urging all-out efforts to ensure the safety of people's lives and property in the fight against rain-triggered floods and geological disasters affecting some parts of China.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said all-out search and rescue must be conducted for those missing or trapped, and residents in flood-threatened areas must be promptly relocated and resettled to minimize casualties.

Across Beijing alone, more than 80,000 people have been relocated, while the rainstorms damaged 31 road sections and disrupted the power supply in 136 villages.

"Heavy rain started to hit on Saturday night, flooding some homes in the town," said Cui Di, deputy chief of Shicheng Township in the hardest-hit Miyun. Cui worked tirelessly to assist with relocating residents to safer areas.

"During emergencies like this, it's tough for everyone. We do our best to make the shelter as comfortable as possible to ease their anxiety," Cui said.

Cui noted that local authorities have also prepared essential supplies, including mattresses, blankets, bread and eggs, for the displaced residents.

In a resettlement center in Miyun, fourth-grade student Zhao Zixuan is sitting on the bed reading a book. He was brought out of a flooded village by speedboat. "It is very safe here, and I can read with peace of mind," Zhao said.

By 8 a.m. on Tuesday, rainfall in Taishitun Township, Miyun District, one of the hardest hit areas, had started to weaken. Floodwaters on Yong'an Road near the town government had mostly receded, and some nearby shops had resumed operations.

According to authorities of Miyun District, peak flow in the Qingshui River running through Putaoyuan Village reached 2,800 cubic meters per second during the downpours. By contrast, the average flow of the river over the past decade has been just 1.62 cubic meters per second.

Gao Shuhong, a villager living near the bank of the river, said her family of four climbed to the roof of their house to escape from the rising floodwater. Gao said: "The firefighters risked their lives to save us. One of them nearly fell from the roof."

"Water, electricity, and gas have been cut off. After 1 p.m., even our phones have no signal," said one villager of Guanshang Village in Zhenluoying Township of Pinggu District. Hundreds of villagers could be seen lining up beside vehicles, carrying bags filled with daily necessities and various medications, waiting for evacuation on Monday.

Villagers told Xinhua that: "The water was even deeper than the thigh." With communication disrupted, community workers went door-to-door to alert residents: "Pack your essentials and evacuate immediately!"

The heavy rain damaged roads and bridges, forcing emergency repair work to be carried out in parallel with evacuation efforts.

"This stone bridge is the only exit from the village to the west," said Liu Jiayin, deputy head of Zhenluoying Township. "After a whole morning of urgent repairs, it's finally passable for vehicles. If the road had remained closed, it would have posed a serious threat to villagers' safety and their daily needs."

Affected residents were steadily relocated to temporary shelters. At a temporary resettlement site in Pinggu District, relocated residents were primarily from Guanshang Village and Damiaoyu Village of Zhenluoying Township.

"This temporary shelter was activated early in the morning. It can hold about 1,000 people, and we've already housed more than 900 villagers," said Shi Xiaoxiao, a local official from Zhenluoying Township. "We've prepared plenty of hot water and serve four dishes and a soup for each meal. We also have air conditioners, and for elderly residents whose children are not by their side, we make sure they have someone to talk to so they don't feel alone."

As of 9 p.m. on Monday, a total of 16,934 people from 6,363 households across 189 villages in 19 townships and subdistricts of Miyun had been evacuated.

In Taishitun Township, flood-affected villagers were moved to Taishizhuang Middle School. "Around 3 p.m. yesterday, relocated villagers began arriving," said Zhao Peng, deputy head of the town. "In the evening, we had 320 people here." Considering most of them were elderly, the shelter has two doctors.

During lunch, a couple eating their hot meals at the site told Xinhua: "We've only seen flooding like this on TV. Thanks to the rescue teams, otherwise, we might lose our lives."

In recent days, extreme and severe convective weather, brought by warm, moist air from the edge of the subtropical high, has occurred in Miyun and other areas of Beijing. Torrential rains have also hit regions near Beijing.

At 8 p.m. Monday, the Beijing municipal flood control headquarters activated the highest level of its citywide flood-control emergency response mechanism. Authorities have warned the public to stay away from sections of the fast-flowing river.

Due to continuous heavy rainfall, railway authorities on Tuesday temporarily suspended some trains on the Beijing-Harbin high-speed railway.

China's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday allocated 350 million yuan (about 48.94 million U.S. dollars) in central government disaster relief funds to nine provincial-level regions, including Beijing, which were affected by floods.

The funds will prioritize emergency rescue operations and disaster relief for affected residents in these regions.

Also on Tuesday, China's National Development and Reform Commission said that it had allocated 200 million yuan to assist disaster relief efforts in Beijing. ■