China rains: Death toll rises to 78 as new storm approaches

At least 78 have been killed from record-breaking rains across northern China with authorities have warned of more flooding and another storm approaching the country.

According to the report of state media on Friday the deaths from flooding in Hebei province rose to 29 after Storm Doksuri, which hit mainland China as a typhoon two weeks ago, brought on the most severe rainfall since records began 140 years ago.

Rescuers have continued to search for people swept away by the floods, as another storm, Khanun, approaches over the weekend.

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The deluge followed weeks of historic heat, with scientists saying such extreme weather events are being exacerbated by climate change.

Scores of roads were damaged, along with more than 100 bridges, Xia Linmao, a Beijing vice mayor, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

The casualty and damage numbers were current as of Tuesday, Xia said, adding that rescue efforts remained underway. Given the level of damage, it could take up to three years to restore full functions, Xia said.

The area, which includes the districts of Mentougou and Fanshan, are kilometers (miles) away from the city center, where the nation’s leaders live and many of its top administrative and business centers are located.China’s state media has hailed the government’s efforts to mitigate damage from the inundations, with coverage focused on tales of mutual aid and selfless officials working tirelessly on rescue efforts.

But a week after the waters first swelled, some villagers in Hebei told AFP they did not receive adequate warning from the authorities about when the floods would come.

The Chinese government on Wednesday said it would allocate one billion yuan ($139 million) to compensate residents in areas that had been inundated to control flood levels in downstream areas.

The fund would pay for “damage to crops, animal and poultry farms, commercial forests, houses and agricultural machinery”, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

China’s deadliest and most destructive floods in recent history were in 1998, when 4,150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River.

In 2021, more than 300 people died in the central province of Henan. Record rainfall inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou on July 20 that year, turning streets into rushing rivers and flooding at least part of a subway line.

With inputs from agencies.