A man looks at flood-damaged cars, following heavy rains over the past few days in Huairou district, on the outskirts of Beijing on July 30, 2025. PEDRO PARDO / AFP
Beijing city officials admitted on Thursday, July 31, that they had not been prepared for heavy rains that soaked stretches of the capital, killing at least 70 people and leaving nine still missing. Large areas of northern China have endured deadly rains and floods since last week that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands. Dozens of roads have been closed, villages lost electricity, and homes were submerged due to the rainstorms across Beijing and its neighbouring provinces.
The capital's rural suburbs were hardest hit, officials said, raising the death toll from the previously reported figure of 30. "Between July 23 and 29, Beijing suffered extreme rainfall," top city official Xia Linmao told a news conference, adding they had caused "significant casualties and [other] losses." "As of midday on July 31, some 44 people have died and nine are still missing as a result of the disasters across the whole of Beijing."
Out of those deaths, 31 took place at an "elderly care center" in the town of Taishitun in the northeast of the city, Xia said. "On behalf of the municipal party committee and the city government, I would like to express deep mourning for those who have regrettably lost their lives, and profound condolences to their relatives," he said. Among those still missing are local officials working on search and rescue, he added.
