Record-breaking rains continued to wreak havoc in northern China, bringing the death toll to 78, while authorities concerned warned of more flooding and a typhoon heading towards the country.
The death toll from floods in China’s Northern Province of Hebei rose to 29, while Hurricane Doxori, which hit mainland China two weeks ago, brought with it a series of heavy rains, breaking a 140-year record for rain, state media reported yesterday.
Rescuers are searching for those missing from the floods as another storm, Khanun, approaches over the weekend.
The floods came after a historic heat wave, which scientists say is increasing such extreme weather events due to climate change.
Roads in parts of Hebei province, adjacent to the Chinese capital Beijing, were still clogged with mud on Wednesday, while residents were busy extracting supplies from the water and cleaning damaged homes.
As of Thursday, 29 people had been killed in the rains across the province, including six missing and 16 still missing, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Heavy rains are expected again over the weekend as Cyclone Khanun approaches China, it added.
China’s state-run media praised the government’s efforts to reduce the heavy damage caused by the floods, with coverage focused on stories of mutual aid working tirelessly for rescue.
Pakistan saddened by loss of lives:
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan is saddened by the loss of precious human lives due to floods in China and is ready to provide all possible assistance to China in this difficult time.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened to learn about the loss of precious human lives due to floods in China.
She said that Pakistan is ready to provide all possible assistance and humanitarian assistance to China in this difficult time, we are confident that due to the determination and belief of the Chinese leadership and the Chinese people, they will soon overcome this temporary difficulty.
Like China, Pakistan is also facing the negative effects of climate change, which are manifested in the form of heat waves, stormy rains, and floods.
Pakistan is ready to work with China to achieve common goals of mitigating climate change and upgrading relevant capacity for disaster management and prevention, she added.
