Beijing, July 31 (NationPress) The tragic aftermath of the recent severe rainstorms in Beijing has resulted in 44 fatalities, with nine individuals still unaccounted for, as disclosed during a press conference on Thursday.

Among those who lost their lives, 31 individuals were residents of an elderly care facility located in Taishitun, Miyun District, reported Xia Linmao, the Executive Vice Mayor of Beijing.

Those missing include four village Party secretaries who were instrumental in the ongoing disaster relief and rescue initiatives.

More than 300,000 residents have been affected by the recent flooding, which has caused damage to approximately 24,000 homes. The most intense rainfall occurred in the northern mountainous regions, resulting in significant destruction of infrastructure across 40 townships and 312 administrative villages, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.

The relentless downpour led to flash floods, which were exacerbated by increased upstream flows, according to Xia.

Xia further stated that the intense rainfall has put immense strain on the operation of the Miyun Reservoir, Beijing's largest water reservoir. At its highest point, the inflow could fill the entire Kunming Lake of the Summer Palace within just five minutes.

Liu Bin, the head of the Beijing municipal water affairs bureau, noted that by Thursday noon, the Miyun Reservoir had received an astounding 910 million cubic metres of inflow over the past week, surpassing the previous record of 710 million cubic metres set in 1974 by nearly 30 percent.

As of noon on Thursday, the water level in the reservoir had returned to 155.38 metres. Liu assured that the reservoir remains in safe and stable condition.

From July 23 to 29, the capital experienced continuous extreme rainstorms, with districts such as Miyun, Huairou, Yanqing, and Pinggu bearing the brunt of the impact.

In response to the unexpected torrential rain and the red alert for rainstorms and floods in the affected areas, Beijing authorities promptly activated the Level I emergency response. Public warnings and safety guidelines were issued, and rescue operations were organized swiftly, leading to the evacuation of 104,000 individuals. Search and rescue teams successfully saved more than 5,400 trapped people, with efforts ongoing to assist the injured, Xia reported.

Currently, 364 out of 424 disrupted rural roads have been cleared, with plans to restore access to all major highways by Thursday. Emergency water supply has been reinstated in all affected administrative villages, while electricity has been restored to 105 of the 213 villages that previously experienced outages.

Wu Zhenkun, head of the Beijing fire and rescue brigade, revealed that during the recent storms, a total of 6,830 personnel were deployed, along with 1,356 vehicles and 296 boats. The rescue teams managed to save 1,879 individuals, evacuate 3,521 others, and deliver approximately 56 tonnes of emergency supplies.

Drones and heavy machinery, including bulldozers and excavators, were deployed for rescue operations. Teams also utilized boats, ropes, ladders, and swimming techniques to ensure the safe evacuation of those trapped, Wu added.

Xia emphasized that the government is committed to improving the living conditions of impacted communities by expediting the repair of damaged homes, ensuring residents can safely return to their villages.

Comprehensive efforts are underway to guarantee the provision of essential supplies and care for vulnerable populations. Additional focus is being placed on the families of the victims, offering psychological support, and accelerating the restoration of damaged infrastructure, including roads, power, water, and communication services, according to Xia.