Rainstorm forces evacuation of over 3,000 residents in suburban Beijing

Torrential rains have resulted in the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents in Beijing's suburban district of Miyun.

The meteorological observatory in Miyun issued an upgraded red alert for torrential rains at 9:06 pm on Saturday, the highest level in China's four-tier color-coded weather warning system.

Between 12 pm on Saturday and 2 am on Sunday, the district recorded average rainfall of 73.5 millimeters, with the heaviest precipitation reaching 315.3 millimeters at Huangtuliang Station.

The Miyun flood control and drought relief headquarters has activated a Level-I flood control emergency response to carry out relevant rescue operations.

The extreme weather forced the closure of 12 major roads in Miyun, seven of which have since reopened. Contact has been established with all the affected villages, with a total of 3,065 residents across 149 villages having been safely relocated as of 5 am on Sunday. No fatalities have been reported -- while evacuation and rescue operations are still underway.

Across the city, 88 bus routes, primarily serving suburban areas, have implemented emergency adjustments -- including service suspensions, shortened routes and detours, the municipal commission of transport said.

Also, train operations on three rail lines and water transportation services in Miyun, Huairou and Yanqing districts have been suspended -- with all tourist boats and ferries ordered to remain docked.

Most areas of Beijing are expected to experience precipitation exceeding 30 millimeters per hour between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, noted chief meteorologist Zhang Linna from the municipal meteorological observatory.

Zhang added that several districts, including Yanqing, Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu, may see hourly precipitation surpassing 50 millimeters, with total rainfall in some locations likely to exceed 100 millimeters.

The forecast highlights particularly high risks of secondary disasters in mountainous and foothill areas -- including flash floods, mudslides and landslides. Low-lying regions face significant flooding dangers, requiring heightened vigilance and preventive measures.