Rainstorm forces evacuation of over 3,000 residents in suburban Beijing

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rains have resulted in the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents in Beijing's suburban district of Miyun.

The meteorological observatory in Miyun issued an upgraded red alert for torrential rains at 9:06 p.m. on Saturday, the highest level in China's four-tier color-coded weather warning system.

Between 12 p.m. on Saturday and 2 a.m. on Sunday, the district recorded an average rainfall of 73.5 millimeters, with the heaviest precipitation reaching 315.3 millimeters at Huangtuliang Station. This intense and localized downpour triggered flash floods -- disrupting access to roads, power supplies and communication networks in several villages.

The extreme weather forced the closure of 12 major roads in Miyun, seven of which have since reopened. Contact has been established with all the affected villages, with a total of 3,065 residents across 149 villages having been safely relocated as of 5 a.m. on Sunday. No fatalities have been reported -- while evacuation and rescue operations are still underway.

Weather forecasts indicate continued rainfall in Miyun on Sunday. These conditions are expected to ease slightly on Monday, with lingering risks of downpours in mountainous areas of this district.

Meanwhile, the Miyun flood control and drought relief headquarters has activated a Level-I flood control emergency response to carry out relevant rescue operations.