Paramilitary policemen evacuate residents stranded by floodwaters in Xincuo town, Fuqing city, after Typhoon Doksuri made landfall and brought heavy rains in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China, 29 July 2023 Photo by cnsphoto via Reuters
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from flood-prone areas in Beijing as Typhoon Doksuri hit the Chinese capital with heavy rain on Sunday and residents were told to stay indoors.
The deadly storm has swept across northeast China since Friday, when it slammed into the southern province of Fujian after hitting the Philippines.
The Chinese capital and the surrounding region were inundated over the weekend, with officials warning of potentially dangerous conditions including flooding, overflowing rivers, mudslides and landslides.
More than 27,000 people in high-risk areas of Beijing have been evacuated and another 20,000 have been moved from parts of Hebei’s capital Shijiazhuang, state media said.
Hundreds of millions of people in northern China, including Beijing, remain under red alert – the highest level – for heavy rainfall until at least Monday afternoon.
It is the first time since 2011 that such a heavy rain warning has been issued, according to local media.
Beijing residents were urged not to go out unless necessary, advice that seemed widely followed with the generally busy streets empty of many cars or pedestrians.
Many popular sites in the capital have been temporarily closed, including the Forbidden City, libraries and museums.
The sprawling National Center for the Performing Arts, located near Tiananmen Square, canceled opera and music performances scheduled for Sunday.
China recorded record high temperatures this summer, with scientists saying extreme weather conditions were exacerbated by climate change.
Doksuri was initially categorized as a super typhoon as it swept across the Pacific Ocean earlier this week, but lost steam as it approached the Philippines, where it killed more than a dozen people .
It again brought colossal waves and howling winds of up to 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour) to southeast China on Friday, causing extensive damage.
More than 880,000 people in Fujian province have been affected by the storm, state media said on Sunday.
