ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended heartfelt condolences on the loss of precious lives in the ongoing torrential rains in Beijing.
“On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences on the loss of precious lives in the ongoing torrential rains in Beijing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones,” the prime minister said in a tweet.
He said Pakistan and China are “enduring friends and partners sharing weal and woe”. He added that the entire Pakistani nation stands by our Chinese brothers and sisters in this hour of grief.
The prime minister also extended his best wishes for the ongoing relief and rescue efforts and said they are ready to extend all possible assistance.
On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences on the loss of precious lives in the ongoing torrential rains in Beijing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones.
Pakistan and China are enduring friends and…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 1, 2023
Beijing rains
Relentless rain stretched into a fourth day in Beijing and nearby cities on Tuesday as a weakening typhoon brought non-stop precipitation and widespread flooding to northern China, so far claiming 11 lives.
Rivers have swollen to dangerous levels, prompting Beijing to use a flood storage reservoir for the first time since it was built 25 years ago. The city had sealed off over 100 mountain roads and evacuated more than 52,000 people from their homes.
The death toll rose to 11 on Tuesday morning, with another 27 missing, Beijing Daily reported. Two of the victims died during rescue and relief operations, the newspaper said.
Doksuri, one of the strongest storms to hit China in years, weakened as it rolled inland, but authorities warned that risks of further floods and other geological disasters remained.
Localised thunderstorms and strong winds were forecast for Beijing on Tuesday, as well as for neighbouring city Tianjin and Hebei province. Several subway lines in the capital, including trains in western suburbs, were suspended on Tuesday.
Beijing’s Mentougou district in the west saw dramatic damage a day before, after torrential rains turned roads into rivers, sweeping cars away. Nearly 400 flights were cancelled on Tuesday and hundreds delayed at Beijing’s two airports.
Beijing recorded an average of 260mm (10.2 inches) of rainfall from Saturday to early Monday, with the Changping Wangjiayuan Reservoir logging the largest reading at 738.3mm (29 inches).
The city government said the rainfall over the past few days has broken records from a severe storm 11 years ago. In July 2012, Beijing was hit by the strongest storm since the founding of modern China, with the city receiving 190.3mm of rain in one day, affecting more than 1.6 million people.
