In a recent incident near Guqianbao Town in Datong City, Shanxi Province, a minibus was swept away by floodwaters, leaving 14 occupants missing. As of 6:00 pm on July 30th, the bodies of 10 individuals have been recovered while the whereabouts of the remaining 4 are still unknown. This brings the officially reported death toll of the North China flood to 58.
On the afternoon of July 30th, the “7.27” emergency rescue command in Datong City announced that by 6:00 pm that day, 10 missing persons had been found, unfortunately, all deceased, with the rest still unaccounted for.
According to local villagers who spoke to JiMu News earlier, on the day of the incident on the 27th, some middle-aged and elderly villagers took an early minibus ride to the greenhouses to help pick chili peppers to supplement their household income. Unexpectedly, they encountered a sudden surge in river water, causing the entire minibus with all 14 passengers to be washed away and go missing.
In recent days, China has been facing heavy rainfall in multiple regions, with 41 rivers experiencing flooding above warning levels. Extreme precipitation has triggered floods and flash floods, resulting in numerous casualties and missing persons.
According to mainland Chinese media reports, as of 6:00 pm on the 26th, two people died and two went missing in Fuping County, Hebei Province due to a landslide. By midnight on July 29th, Beijing reported 30 deaths from the floods, with 28 in Miyun District and 2 in Yanqing District. As of noon on the 29th, a landslide in Luancheng County, Hebei Province, led to 8 deaths and 4 missing persons. By the 30th, heavy rainfall in Xinglong County, Chengde City, Hebei Province, had caused 8 deaths and 18 missing persons. Coupled with the minibus incident in Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province, resulting in 10 confirmed deaths, the officially reported death toll from the North China flood has risen to 58.
However, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s tendency to conceal the scale of disasters, the actual number of casualties and missing persons may be more severe.