Firefighters were deployed to rescue dozens of residents trapped by rising waters at a nursing home in Beijing on Monday, as a powerful flash flood swept through the Chinese capital, claiming at least 30 lives and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Footage showed emergency personnel working amid widespread inundation, evacuating stranded citizens using assault boats. Buildings and vehicles were seen submerged under torrential floodwaters.
A heavy downpour, triggered by a subtropical high, has deluged Beijing, killing at least 30 people and forcing around 80,000 residents to leave their homes, local media reported on Tuesday.
On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials to prepare for worst-case scenarios and to accelerate the evacuation of people living in flood-prone areas.
Since the weekend, torrential rains have also battered several municipalities in northern China, including Tianjin, Hebei, and eastern Shandong.
(WATCH) Firefighters rescue trapped residents as deadly flash floods sweep Beijing, killing at least 30
