People go missing, thousands are evacuated as rain continues to pelt northeastern China

In the aftermath of Typhoon Doksuri, northeastern China continues to endure heavy rainfall, leading to unfortunate fatalities and missing individuals. According to state media reports, one person has died, and five others are missing in the city of Shulan, located in Jilin province, which has experienced unrelenting rainfall for five consecutive days. To mitigate further risks, authorities have evacuated more than 14,300 people from the city, which is home to a population of over 700,000, as reported by the local disaster relief agency. Images captured by China News Service depict waterlogged streets surrounding homes and factories in the affected region. The city has recorded an average precipitation of 111.7 mm (4.4 inches) as of Friday afternoon. [caption id=“attachment_12963542” align=“alignnone” width=“300”] In this aerial photo released by Xinhua News Agency, flood waters course through fields and roads in Kaiyuan Town of Shulan in northeastern China’s Jilin Province on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Northeastern China continued to be pelted by rain on Saturday, as authorities reported more deaths and missing people and evacuated thousands in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri. - AP[/caption] China is struggling with record-breaking rainfall in some areas while others suffer scorching summer heat and drought that threatens crops. The heavy rains - remnants of Typhoon Doksuri - have battered northern China since late July, disrupting the lives of millions. Flooding near Beijing and in neighbouring Hebei province this week killed at least 22 people. In northeastern Heilongjiang province, which is known as China’s “great northern granary,” rain inundated farms and flooded streets, leading to the evacuation of thousands. In the city of Shangzhi, heavy rainfall turned roads into rivers and inundated thousands of households. National emergency management authorities said 25 rivers across Heilongjiang threatened to burst their banks, while disaster relief groups have been dispatched to the province. In Heilongjiang’s capital of Harbin, more than 53,000 people had to be evacuated as multiple reservoirs and rivers exceeded safety levels while some 41,600 hectares (103,000 acres) of crops were damaged. In the city of Yushu in Jilin province, about 120 kilometers south of Harbin, flooding forced the evacuation of around 19,000 people. Meanwhile, in Hebei province around Beijing, which saw some of the region’s worst flooding in the past few weeks, authorities issued fresh alerts for rainstorms on Saturday. Floodwaters in Zhuozhou, southwest of Beijing started to recede Saturday, state media reported, allowing some of the 125,000 evacuated residents to return to their homes. The death toll in the 11 million-strong city of Baoding reached 10 while another 18 people are still missing, local authorities said Saturday. Floods damaged roads and washed away bridges in the city’s Yesanpo Scenic Area, a national park known for its gorges and mountains. With inputs from AP.