Heavy rains and flooding kill more than 130 in China

At least 130 people have died and dozens more remain missing after torrential rains caused flooding and landslides throughout China since the extreme weather began on Monday.

Hit hardest is Hebei Province, located near the capital city of Beijing in the northeast of the country, where 300,000 people have been evacuated and about 80 of the deaths occurred. Photos of drowned children purported to be from this area are circulating online.

Meteorologists say additional rainstorms are expected in coming days, and authorities estimate some 8 million people have been affected already. Some Hebei residents have accused the government of causing the disaster by opening a nearby reservoir, but officials insist the reservoir drains into a different river and did not cause these deadly floods.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up