Torrential Flooding Hits China As Typhoon Doksuri Wreaks Havoc

Torrents of water gushed through streets in China as moisture from former Typhoon Doksuri triggered catastrophic flooding over the weekend and into the start of the new week.

Doksuri made landfall Friday in the Chinese province of Fujian, located roughly 1,000 miles (1,609 km) south of Beijing, and lost wind intensity over the weekend as it pushed inland. However, the tropical moisture fueled extreme rain across the country for days.

More than 30,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Beijing, where 5.29 inches (134 mm) of rain fell Sunday. Dramatic video showed over a dozen vehicles being swept away in the flooding near Beijing and helicopters being used to rescue people who were stranded in the middle of the raging rivers.

Tens of thousands of people were also evacuated in Baoding, a city about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Beijing, after intense floodwaters washed away entire buildings, according to NBC News.

At least two people have died due to the flooding, which some are calling the worst in Beijing in more than a decade. The death toll could climb as officials assess the damage and as floodwaters gradually recede. Another typhoon is already churning in the western Pacific Ocean, but China may avoid a repeat of Doksuri. Typhoon Khanun developed late last week west of Guam and strengthened over the weekend as it moved northwestward across the Philippine Sea.

According to CNN News, hundreds of train passengers were stranded in the outskirts of Beijing, a state-run radio station reported.

“Now the rain is getting heavier and heavier, there seem to be signs of landslides in the front. The train can’t go forward or back. Some people on the train are already feeling sick,” said one passenger on the TV station.

“Supplies can not come in, people are hungry… the car door is locked, we can’t go anywhere,” said the second traveler.

At least 1,870 passengers and 68 staff had been stranded on two trains and were finally led to safe ground by Monday afternoon, citing Beijing’s state railway operator. Another train remained stuck at another station, where staff had to walk through thick mud to deliver food and water to the stranded passengers.

AccuWeather meteorologists say that Typhoon Khanun is currently tracking toward China, but it will make a turn to the northeast later this week, directing the storm away from China.

Even as Doksuri tapers off, there is little relief on the horizon. Authorities are preparing for incoming Khanun, the sixth typhoon projected to hit China this year, with forecasters expecting storm tides to hit coastal areas of eastern Zhejiang province until Thursday.

Produced in association with AccuWeather

Edited by Eunice Anyango Oyule and Judy J. Rotich