Heavy rain floods Beijing, 20 dead

Beijing, August 1

Days of unusually heavy rain around China’s capital, Beijing, have flooded houses, torn apart roads and left at least 20 people dead and 27 missing.

Powerful typhoon hits Japan’s Okinawa

• A powerful typhoon, packing surface winds of up to 180 kph, approached Japan’s island of Okinawa on Tuesday
• Hundreds of flights were cancelled and public transportation connecting Okinawa to nearby islands were suspended 

The flooding prompted authorities to close train stations and evacuate people in vulnerable areas to school gyms. Cars were washed away and piled into stacks by the rushing waters.

The level of rainfall is rarely seen in Beijing, which generally enjoys moderate, dry summers but has experienced record-breaking extended days of high temperatures this summer.

President Xi Jinping has issued an order for local governments to go “all out” to rescue those trapped and minimize the loss of life and damage to property. State media reported that 11 people died and 27 are missing in the mountains to the west of Beijing’s city center.

More than 500,000 people have been impacted by the floods, state broadcaster CCTV said.— AP