DEADLY floods have killed at least 31 residents in a Chinese nursing home after they were all left to drown.
Over 80,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes immediately as torrid storms swept across Beijing this week with the death toll now reaching 44.
ReutersFloods tore through homes in the Miyun District with dozens of casualties coming from an elderly care home[/caption]
AFPNine districts around Beijing have been badly affected including the Huairou district[/caption]
ReutersA bridge had been split in two across the overflowing Qingshui river after heavy rainfall[/caption]
The Chinese capital was set up to be secure in the face of disastrous weather but officials have been forced to admit that there had been “gaps” in the city’s readiness for heavy rains.
Yu Weiguo, ruling Communist Party boss in the worst-hit Miyun district, announced: “There were gaps in our preparatory plans. Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking.
“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 central area of the town where the nursing home was located wasn’t included in any evacuation scope meaning rescuers weren’t able to help until it was too late.
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, heavy rain killed more than 80 people across northern and northeastern China, including at least 29 people in Hebei where severe flooding destroyed 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.
APSoldiers have been trying to rescue trapped villagers since Tuesday[/caption]
AlamyVillage officials and volunteers clear fallen branches from a road in Zhongshan Village of Changxing County[/caption]
APPeople cross a damaged riverbank after a flash flood in Jizhou District[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
