Deadly rains batter northern China in aftermath of storm Doksuri

At least 11 people are dead and 27 missing after heavy rains battered northern parts of China, including Beijing, state media said on Tuesday, in downpours that have submerged roads and deluged neighbourhoods with mud.

At least 11 people are dead and 27 missing after heavy rains battered northern parts of China, including Beijing, state media said on Tuesday, in downpours that have submerged roads and deluged neighbourhoods with mud.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for “every effort” to rescue those “lost or trapped” as the remnants of the storm Doksuri dumped record rainfall in Beijing.

Among the dead were two workers “killed on duty during rescue and relief” efforts, broadcaster CCTV said. More than 100,000 people across the city deemed at risk had been evacuated, state-owned tabloid the Global Times reported.

Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, had swept northwards through China since hitting southern Fujian province on Friday after first scything through the Philippines.

Rivers have swollen to dangerous levels, prompting Beijing to use a flood storage reservoir for the first time since it was built 25 years ago. As of Monday night, China’s capital city had sealed off more than 100 mountain roads.

Doksuri, one of the strongest storms to hit China in years, weakened as it rolled inland, but authorities warned that risks of further floods and other geological disasters remained.