Local Communist party secretary says there were ‘gaps’ in city’s readiness for extreme weather after at least 40 killed
A Beijing city official has issued a rare public acknowledgment of official failings in the authorities’ response to the severe flooding that hit China’s capital this week.
Yu Weiguo, a Communist party secretary for Miyun, the northern district worst affected by this week’s extreme weather, said in a press conference on Thursday that there were “gaps” in the city’s readiness for the deadly floods.
More than 40 people are confirmed to have died in the flooding that hit Miyun and Yanqing, another Beijing district, on Sunday and Monday. Nine are still missing, including four municipal government workers.
A year’s worth of rain fell within seven days, turning cars upside down and flooding homes. More than 80,000 people have been relocated and more than 100 villages lost power. In total, more than 300,000 people have been affected.
