MIYUN: Villagers in northern China waded through muddy waters under a scorching July sun, salvaging belongings swept away by catastrophic floods that have killed dozens and displaced thousands. The mountainous Miyun district, just outside Beijing, was among the worst-hit areas, with over 100 villages losing power and 80,000 residents forced to evacuate.
In Taishitun, a town 100 kilometres northeast of Beijing, exhausted locals scrambled to recover what little remained of their homes. “It’s the kind of flood seen once in a hundred years,“ said Pang, a 52-year-old resident, pointing to his refrigerator carried 500 metres downstream. Nearby, a crane struggled to lift a wrecked SUV as its owner watched helplessly.
The floods left streets submerged, cars piled in debris, and homes caked in thick mud. Zhao, a local woman, described returning to find her kitchen destroyed. “The refrigerator, washing machine—everything was soaked,“ she said. “We didn’t know what to do but flee.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for emergency measures, warning of further rainfall. In Xinanzhuang village, murky waters swallowed homes and roads, leaving elderly residents stunned. “I’ve never seen water this high,“ said one man in his sixties. - AFP
