Beijing authority issues red alert for floods

陈小将

The Beijing hydrological station, under the city's water authority, issued a red flood alert at 11 am Monday, warning that the Dashi River section in southwestern Fangshan district would experience floods and asking people to stay away from rivers.

A video posted by Beijing TV station on Monday at noon shows that 80 people were trapped at a logistic center in Fangshan. Rescue operations were underway.

By 1 pm on Monday, up to 358 bus routes had been affected by the rain, with 261 routes suspending operations and others making route adjustments, Beijing Public Transportation Group said on Monday.

Starting 1:30 pm, all bus services in Yanqing district were suspended, the district traffic bureau said.

Beijing has experienced waves of torrential rains since the weekend. From 8 am on Saturday to 6 am Monday the average precipitation reached 138.3 millimeters, the city's water authority said.

At 10 am on Monday, Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a red alert for heavy rain. It predicted that from 10 am Monday to 8 am Tuesday, parts of the districts of Mentougou, Yanqing, Changping, Fangshan, Haidian, Fengtai, Shijingshan, Huairou and Miyun would experience heavy rain.