Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Vast swath of northeastern China threatened by flooding as rivers rise above warning levels

Residents wash their suitcase and belongings on a damaged bank of a canal clogged with flood debris in the aftermath of flood waters from an overflowing river in the Mentougou district on the outskirts of Beijing on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (Andy Wong/AP Photo) Residents wash their suitcase and belongings on a damaged bank of a canal clogged with flood debris in the aftermath of flood waters from an overflowing river in the Mentougou district on the outskirts of Beijing on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (Andy Wong/AP Photo)
Share
BEIJING -

A vast swath of northeastern China is threatened by flooding as at least 90 rivers have risen above warning levels and 24 have already overflowed their banks, state media reported Tuesday.

Crews are standing by to defend homes and farmland across the Songliao Basin north of Beijing, which encompasses more than 1.2 million square kilometres (482,200 square miles).

The area includes parts of four provinces and several major cities with a total population of almost 100 million. Tens of thousands have already been moved to safety.

Reservoirs have been partly drained and overflow areas prepared to handle the high waters, the reports said. Ten rivers are already running at historically high levels, they said.

Much of China is having a particularly damp summer, with 142 people killed by flooding in July and dozens more this month.

In the western city of Xi'an, the death toll from a landslide rose by three to 24 on Tuesday with three others still missing. Rescue teams totalling 980 people with dogs were continuing the search.

The mudslide and a flash flood Friday evening also damaged a highway and knocked out power to 900 households.

Parts of China suffer heavy rains and flooding every summer, but this year other areas have also been affected, including the capital, Beijing. That's partly the result of two massive typhoons that battered Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Beijing avoided more severe damage by diverting water into neighbouring Hebei province, drawing the ire of residents there whose crops and homes were heavily damaged.

China's deadliest and most destructive floods in recent history were in 1998, when 4,150 people died, most of them along the Yangtze River but also many along the Nen and Songhua rivers in the Songliao Basin.

In 2021, more than 300 people died in flooding in the central province of Henan. Record rainfall inundated the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, turning streets into rushing rivers and flooding a subway line, trapping passengers in the cars.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.