The city received 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said on Wednesday.
Beijing and neighboring Hebei province have seen severe flooding due to record rainfall, in which water has reached dangerous levels. Rains in and around the capital destroyed roads, caused power outages and ruptured drinking water pipes. Several rivers around the capital overflowed, inundating cars and dragging vehicles onto pedestrian bridges.
The confirmed death toll from torrential rains near Beijing rose to 21 on Wednesday after the body of a rescue worker was recovered. Wang Hong-chun, 41, was with other rescuers aboard a raft that capsized in a river. Four of his companions survived.
At least 26 people are still missing from the floods.
One of the hardest-hit areas was Zhuozhou, a small city in Hebei province that borders southwest of Beijing. In a message on the Weibo social network Tuesday night, local police called for lamps to assist with the rescue efforts.
Rescuers were cruising the flooded city in rubber boats, evacuating people trapped in their homes without running water, gas or electricity since Tuesday afternoon.
“I didn’t think it was that bad, I thought it would just be a bit of water and it would recede,” said Wang Huiying, 54. The woman spent the night on the third floor of her building as the water entered the first floor, where her steam bun shop was located. All her machinery was now under water.
It was unknown how many people had been trapped in flooded areas in the city and nearby towns. Rescuers from other provinces flocked to the town to help with the evacuations.
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Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. AP news assistant Caroline Chen and researcher Wanqing Chen contributed to this report.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this post has been corrected to state that rainfall in Beijing broke a record of at least 140 years, not days.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
