China’s North China region has been hit by continuous heavy rains and reservoir discharges, leading to devastating floods that have resulted in significant casualties. Xinglong County in Hebei Province reported at least 3 deaths and 4 missing individuals in a temporary village, with reports from affected residents revealing that the authorities have been concealing the true death toll.
On August 2nd, the Xinglong County Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported that the county had been experiencing heavy rain since July 28th, confirming that in the “Beijing Valley” resort and retirement village, 3 people have died and 4 are missing.
According to a report by Jiemu News, on July 27th, more than thirty mainland internet celebrities and their accompanying family members were invited to participate in a brand promotion event at the “Beijing Valley” and camp there overnight. In the early hours of the 28th, a flash flood struck.
Ms. Xue, an eyewitness, recalled that around 3 a.m., she felt her bed floating and discovered it was surrounded by water when she touched the ground. Startled, she ran out of the tent and found water rising to chest level at the campsite office. As the floodwaters almost covered their heads, she and others sought refuge under a large tree.
Around 5 a.m., she heard someone calling for help and found six people clinging onto the opposite tree trunk. She assisted them in moving to the large tree and they endured in the floodwater for five to six hours before being rescued.
The “Beijing Valley” resort is located in Beikanzi Village, Liudaohetown, Xinglong County, less than 10 kilometers from Miyun, Beijing. It is promoted as an “age-friendly community” combining forest cover, parent-child activities, health care, and hot spring resorts.
As of July 30th, it has been reported that at least 8 people have died and 18 are missing in Xinglong County. In Beijing, as of the 31st, 44 people were reported dead and 9 missing; in Luangping County, Hebei Province, 8 deaths and 4 missing persons were reported; in Fuping County, Hebei, 2 deaths and 2 missing; and in Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province, 10 deaths from a washed-away bus were reported. The total reported death toll in the North China floods is at least 75 people.
However, it has been exposed by the public that the reported death tolls in various areas have been significantly underestimated.
On the morning of July 29th, a villager from Sunhugou Village in Liulimiao Town, Huairou District, Beijing, told a reporter from The Epoch Times that the flood came rushing down from the mountains, with over 300 villagers still missing and unaccounted for.
He revealed, “The village secretary couple and two others were washed away, so the reported death toll is definitely inaccurate.” Only about twenty to thirty people managed to evacuate from the village, taking three to four hours to reach the town as the road was impassable.
Beijing and Hebei have been hit by consecutive heavy rains, with at least nine reservoirs in Miyun, Huairou, Pinggu, and other areas discharging water simultaneously on July 27th, leading to the closure of 352 mountain torrents. Extensive flooding has caused road and bridge collapses, power outages, and communication interruptions.
Liulimiao Town in Huairou District is one of the hardest-hit areas in this flood disaster. Mr. Cui, a homestay owner, told Jiupai News that on the night of the deluge, the water level surged in his village of Xiwanzi. People climbed onto the roofs from the yard, with the water in the yard reaching nearly 2.5 meters.
Xinglong County, located 10 kilometers from Miyun, is also one of the severely affected areas, with numerous villages engulfed by mudslides, leaving homes in ruins.
Local residents disclosed to The Epoch Times that ongoing reservoir discharges have submerged many villages along the riverbanks, with numerous individuals swept away by the floods, resulting in a severe disaster. The actual death toll may exceed a hundred, with communication in multiple villages cut off and rescue efforts delayed.