DEADLY floods have killed at least 31 residents in a Chinese nursing home after they were all left to drown.
More than 80,000 individuals have been ordered to leave their homes immediately as severe storms ravaged Beijing this week, bringing the death toll to 44.
Despite the Chinese capital’s preparations for severe weather, officials have acknowledged “gaps” in the city’s ability to handle heavy rainfalls.
Yu Weiguo, the Communist Party leader in the hardest-hit Miyun district, stated: “There were deficiencies in our preparatory plans. Our understanding of extreme weather was inadequate.”
“This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan.”
The floods tore through homes in the Miyun District with dozens of casualties coming from an elderly care home.
Around 77 residents were inside the home when the floods hit.
Many of them were immobile or severely disabled and were under constant supervision from carers.
Over half were trapped in their rooms as water levels rose to almost 6ft, according to Chinese media.
A devastated Chinese official explained at a press conference on Thursday that the care home was supposed to have been in a “safe zone”.
The town’s central area, where the nursing home was situated, wasn’t included in any evacuation plan, preventing rescuers from providing timely assistance.
Officials had tried to battle through the surging waves but were unable to rescue more than seven of the residents.
In the nearby Hebei province, 16 people died as a result of extreme rainfall, officials said.
In the city of Chengde, another eight were killed with 18 still missing.
The storms have knocked out power in more than 130 villages in Beijing and destroyed communication lines making any rescue missions tricky.
More than 30 sections of road have also been ripped up.
Terrifying videos have emerged showing the roads being turned into rivers.
Swaths of northern China were lashed by torrential downpours that sparked landslides and flooding, state media said on Tuesday.
A heartbroken Pang, a 52-year-old resident of Taishitun, said the flood is the type of disaster “seen once in a hundred years”.
The government has allocated 350 million yuan ($49million) for disaster relief in nine regions hit by heavy rains.
A separate 200 million yuan has been set aside for the capital, the broadcaster said.
Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat.
In 2023, torrential rain resulted in over 80 fatalities across northern and northeastern China, with at least 29 deaths in Hebei, where severe flooding devastated homes and crops.
Some reports at the time suggested the province shouldered the burden of a government decision to divert the deluge away from Beijing.
