Devastating floods and mass evacuations around Beijing

Northern China is experiencing an episode of extreme rainfall, severely affecting the capital Beijing and neighboring provinces, especially Miyun, Hebei and Shanxi. More than 4,400 people have been evacuated, and authorities are warning that high water levels and landslides could lead to major disasters in the coming hours and days. State broadcaster CCTV broadcast dramatic images from Miyun, where cars and trucks float on flooded roads, and water has reached the lower floors of residential buildings. In the village of Xiwanzi, near the Miyun Reservoir, the entire population has been moved to a primary school for protection. Two other sections of road in Pinggu District (Beijing) have been completely closed due to the high risk of landslides and landslides.

• Shanxi Province: Roads washed away, crops damaged

The neighboring province of Shanxi has been hit hard, with roads covered by flash floods and farmland and orchards completely submerged. Vegetation is submerged and crops, already damaged by previous droughts, are being destroyed at a crucial time of the season.

• Hebei: Two dead, two missing

In Hebei, two people were found dead and two others are missing, according to a report by CCTV on Sunday. In the city of Baoding, rainfall reached a record high of 145 liters per square meter in a single night, a volume rarely seen even in tropical areas. In the city of Datong, rescue teams are carrying out intensive operations after a Ford driver was reported missing after losing contact with dispatchers while crossing a flooded area. Similar situations are being reported in several towns in the north of the country.

• Old systems put to the test

The Ministry of Water Resources has issued flood warnings for 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and Hebei. Floods on small and medium-sized rivers, as well as mountain torrents, are threatening critical infrastructure and isolated rural communities.

• Experts: "Climate change is intensifying the phenomena”

According to meteorologists, these rains are part of an extreme East Asian monsoon system that is affecting the entire region. But climate experts warn that global warming is the main amplifier of this type of phenomena. "Northern China was, until recently, a relatively arid region. The intensification of rainfall here is a clear signal of rapid climate change,” researchers quoted by Reuters say. China's hydrological and flood protection infrastructure - built largely in the 20th century - can no longer cope with modern weather phenomena. Authorities warn that millions of people could be affected in the event of a systemic collapse, especially in large urban areas such as Beijing.

The situation in northern China reflects a global trend: the sudden intensification of extreme weather events, in parallel with the vulnerability of protection and adaptation systems.

Whether it is floods in China, fires in Greece or drought in Africa, the planet seems caught in the ever-deepening scars of the climate crisis.