More than 30 lives lost as Beijing floods devastate nursing home

Flooding this week has tragically claimed the lives of 31 residents at a care home for the elderly just outside Beijing, according to local officials. Disturbing footage captured emergency teams navigating chest-high waters in a desperate attempt to rescue those trapped inside the facility in the Miyun District. It’s believed many of the victims were unable to escape due to their immobility.

Courtesy : Getty Images

Local authorities have acknowledged that there were significant “loopholes in emergency planning,” describing this incident as a painful lesson and a crucial wake-up call for the future. Overall, the flooding in Beijing has resulted in 44 fatalities, coming at a time when extreme weather has affected various regions across China. Earlier this month, record heatwaves scorched the east, while the southwest faced its own flooding challenges.

At the time of the floods, approximately 77 elderly residents were in the care home. Reports indicate that around 40 individuals became trapped as water levels surged to nearly 2 meters (6 feet). The facility, located in Taishitun Town, primarily serves those who are severely disabled, low-income, or receive minimal living allowances. A government official remarked at a press conference that the central part of the town had long been deemed safe, leading to its exclusion from the evacuation plan.

"This highlights the gaps in our emergency framework. Our grasp of extreme weather phenomena has been insufficient, and this tragic experience serves as an urgent reminder of the need for better preparedness." In the neighboring Hebei province, 16 individuals lost their lives due to intense rainfall, with eight fatalities reported in Chengde and 18 others still unaccounted for.

Beijing has a history of severe flooding during the summer months, with a particularly devastating incident occurring in July 2012 when 79 people were killed after 190mm of rain fell within a single day. This summer, floods have caused extensive damage across various parts of China. Earlier this month, Typhoon Wipha led to the deaths of two people in Shandong province while also leaving ten missing. Additionally, two weeks prior, a landslide in Ya'an city resulted in three fatalities.

Experts link the rise in extreme weather events to climate change, which increasingly poses a threat to both the residents and the economy of China, particularly its agriculture sector valued at over a trillion dollars. The emergency management ministry reported earlier this month that natural disasters in the first half of the year have incurred losses of 54.11 billion yuan ($7.5 billion; £5.7 billion), with flooding accounting for over 90% of these damages.