Northern China floods Death toll rises to at least 30

At least 10 people were killed in floods in a city near Beijing, officials said yesterday, bringing the death toll from recent torrential rains in northern China to at least 30.

Officials reported the deaths in Baoding, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Beijing, adding that 18 people were missing.

Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon that hit mainland China last Friday, has brought the most severe rains to the region since records began 140 years ago.

By noon yesterday (0400 GMT), more than 600,000 of Baoding’s 11.5 million residents had been evacuated from areas deemed to be at risk, officials said.

The torrential rain that hit northeast China yesterday battered the provinces bordering Russia and North Korea. A red alert remains in force in Beijing due to “geological risks” such as landslides linked to the bad weather.

Clean-up operations are ongoing after the overwhelming rainfall, which destroyed infrastructure and flooded entire districts.

GBDESK//