Beijing accelerates recovery efforts after rare downpours

Beijing is ramping up recovery efforts to restore power, clear roads and deliver essential supplies to residents displaced by flash floods and landslides triggered by some of the most intense rainfall in the city's mountainous outskirts.

In Miyun District, one of the worst-hit areas, a makeshift supply hub in Xizhuangzi Village was bustling by Wednesday morning, with stacks of bottled water, instant noodles, sausages and preserved eggs ready for dispatch.

More than 60 tonnes of emergency supplies were distributed across Miyun on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning, four helicopters were deployed to continue airdropping relief materials. Repair crews were also dispatched to restore damaged communication and power lines, according to local authorities.

According to a press conference on Thursday, 44 people were killed and nine others were missing in Beijing. Authorities said that the Miyun Reservoir recorded its highest inflow, highest water level and fastest outflow since its construction in 1959.

In Yanqing, more than 4,200 people have been relocated. Some 488 rescue teams, comprising over 8,300 personnel, were dispatched to carry out relief efforts. Communication has been reestablished in all previously unreachable villages, damaged roads have been cleared, and essential services such as power supply have been restored.

Taotiaogou, a remote village in Yanqing, was among the hardest hit. After over 48 hours of rescue efforts, its 49 residents were gradually brought to safety.

"I've never seen such ferocious floodwaters in my life," said 89-year-old Zhai Cheng'an, recalling how his home was quickly engulfed by muddy torrents.

Zhai Yonghui, deputy Party chief of Taotiaogou Village, said the downpour intensified at 10:20 p.m. on July 26, breaking local rainfall records. Yanqing District plans to help residents from the devastated village start a new life in other sites.

"The water will recede, and we will have homes again. We believe in that," he added.

As part of ongoing recovery efforts, train services on the Beijing-Baotou high-speed railway will resume Thursday after being suspended due to severe rain in Beijing and Hebei Province earlier in the week, according to China Railway Hohhot Group Co., Ltd.

(Cover: Rescue teams work in the mountainous areas of Miyun District, Beijing, China, July 31, 2025. /VCG)