Extreme weather killed at least 30 people in Beijing after a year's worth of rain fell in less than a week, forcing the relocation of more than 80,000 people, damaging roads and cutting off power and communications in more than 130 villages.
Hundreds of flights and a number of train services were delayed or suspended as the storms peaked on Monday night, stretching the capital's disaster management capabilities and prompting some experts to call the city a rain "trap".
Most of the rain had converged on Beijing's mountainous north near the Great Wall, with at least 28 deaths reported in the district of Miyun and two in Yanqing, Xinhua reported. The state-run news agency did not say when or how the deaths occurred.
"The flood came in an instant, you just had no buffer," said Zhai, 33, who runs a grocery shop in Miyun, now a disaster zone amid collapsed bridges, mangled cars and shattered pipelines.
She showed Reuters the marks left behind as the floodwaters receded. They had risen to 1.5 metres (4.92 ft), submerging her shop for hours and ruining her food and beverage stocks.
Liu, who owns a nearby restaurant, was on the verge of tears as she stared at the overturned stools and mud-covered table-tops in her eatery.
Large appliances like fridges had sat submerged for hours and were likely damaged, said her husband Yang, estimating the damage at more than 100,000 yuan ($14,000).
'EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE'
Heavy rains began on July 23 and peaked around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, with Miyun experiencing rainfall of up to 573.5 mm (22.6 inches) - levels local media described as "extremely destructive". The average annual rainfall in Beijing is around 600 mm.
The most intense downpour occurred on Saturday in Beijing's hilly Huairou, where 95.3 mm of rain fell in one hour.
"The cumulative amount of precipitation has been extremely high - reaching 80–90% of the annual total in just a few days in some areas," said Xuebin Zhang of the University of Victoria in Canada and CEO of the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium.
'PM SHEHBAZ CONDOLES TRAGIC LOSS OF LIVES'
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has grieved over loss of lives in Pakistan rains and landslides in China.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), PM Shehbaz said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and displacement caused by the recent torrential rains and landslides in China."
"On behalf of the people of Pakistan as well as on my own behalf, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and all those affected," he said.
"Having recently faced similar challenges in various parts of Pakistan, we fully understand and empathize with the hardship that our Chinese brothers and sisters are enduring. We are confident that the resilience and unity of the Chinese people, under the resolute leadership of President Xi Jinping, will see them through this difficult time," he said.
"The people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the people of China in this challenging time, bound together through thick and thin, in the spirit of iron clad brotherhood," the premier said.
