The consequences of Typhoon Doksuri continue to cause heavy damage to China. This Thursday, August 3, the authorities confirmed that the number of people killed after the heavy rains and floods left by Typhoon Doksuri increased to at least 22. In addition, in the last few hours state television reported the collapse of a highway bridge over the Mayi River in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
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China continues to face the consequences of some of the worst floods ever recorded in the country.
In the Beijing area, the death of a lifeguard, a 47-year-old woman who fell into the water in the municipality of Fozizhuang, was confirmed, bringing the death toll to at least 22 people.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, a highway bridge collapsed and two cars fell into the Mayi River, local media reported. It was not specified if people were trapped inside the vehicles.
The infrastructure fell when rescue operations were taking place and part of the motorway was closed. The river water level exceeded safety levels by 50 centimeters and the risk of flooding continues.
Typhoon Doksuri hit northern China this week with extreme rainfall, Beijing recorded the heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years. The water levels that fell in a few days were those that normally fall in a whole year.
More than 1.2 million people have been brought to safety in Hebei, the heavily populated province that includes Beijing. One of the hardest-hit areas was Zhuozhou, southwest of the capital, where some 1,000 rescuers were deployed and more than 125,000 residents, equivalent to a sixth of its population, were evacuated, according to state media.
Beijing maintained the alert for landslides on the outskirts of the city. In Hebei, heThe waters could take up to a month to recede, lifeguards said.
Furthermore, the situation is not expected to improve this August as rainfall in the nation’s northeast could be up to 50% above normal this month, China’s national forecaster has warned.
Complicated rescue operations reported
In Matou township in the Zhuozhou area, roads have turned into rivers. There is no longer a supply of electricity or drinking water, nor a telephone signal. Many residents remain trapped in the buildings.
Rescuers rode the streets of Matou in boats and helped to unhook trapped residents. Some were even rescued by large forklifts.
Several places in Zhuozhou are 6 meters under water and some residents have been alarmed by the difficulties of rescue and flood mitigation operations.
Rescue teams from all over China have offered to help in Zhuozhou, but the municipality is no longer accepting new rescue teams from elsewhere. The local media explained that the lack of coordination and the saturation of the access routes endanger the work of the lifeguards.
Meanwhile, the water supply was restored in Mentougou, a district of more than 260,000 people in Hebei province, which was severely affected by the rains.
Beijing announces additional aid for the population
The Chinese authorities announced on Thursday an additional aid of 30 million yuan (4.1 million dollars). Last Tuesday, they had already announced the release of 110 million yuan (15.3 million dollars) to repair the roads partially destroyed by the rains.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport issued these funds to respond to the infrastructure problems that led the experts to activate the level two emergency response, the second highest in the country.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday, August 2, that it will allocate 432 million yuan (60 million dollars) to support farmers affected by the severe storm in several provinces, including Hebei.
Different Chinese technology giants such as Alibaba, Tencent or ByteDance also participated in the donations, announcing the delivery of hundreds of millions of yuan.
With EFE, AP, AFP and Reuters
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