Beijing suspends transport, closes tourist sites amid heavy rain
Heavy rain continued to batter Beijing on Wednesday, prompting authorities to close tourist attractions, suspend bus services and construction work, and evacuate residents from areas at risk of flooding and geological disasters, according to state media, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
More than 300 tourist and camping sites were closed, while operations at over 4,100 rural homestays were suspended. About 250 bus routes were halted, and trains on 10 subway lines were ordered to operate at reduced speeds. Sightseeing boat services were also suspended, Xinhua reported.
Residents of mountainous villages, low-lying areas and other high-risk locations were evacuated. More than 5,000 elderly people were also evacuated from care facilities.
Beijing recorded an average of 23.5 millimeters of rainfall from noon Tuesday to Wednesday morning.
Authorities ordered all 3,357 construction sites across the city to suspend work as they intensified flood-control measures. Reservoirs were releasing water in advance to create additional storage capacity.
The National Meteorological Center renewed its orange alert for torrential rain on Wednesday, forecasting heavy rainfall across a broad swath of the country through Thursday morning.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Typhoon Dolphin struck China’s Zhejiang province again, causing flight cancellations.