The images are unreal, and the devastation is tragic. China's capital Beijing was hit with the heaviest rain in sixty years. According to official reports, sixty thousand people were evacuated from their homes. Sadly, 37 people lost their lives.
The photos taken during the flooding reveal a city underwater: cars and restaurants underwater; commuters on buses standing seats; water spewing from a toilet.
Online, people are pointing the finger at rushed infrastructure and poor drainage systems. "This is China's capital of Beijing. Look what happens when it's hit by a rainstorm," wrote Weibo user Wen Hui (via AP). "The drainage systems of Rome that were built 2,500 years ago are still in use and you can drive a car through them. Can a dog get through Beijing's drainage tunnels?"
One engineer at the country's Ministry of Transport pointed out that in just one day, Beijing was battered with as much rain as it sees in six months. "No drainage system can withstand rains this big", the engineer added.
But as any Beijinger will tell you, the city floods every time it rains—though, obviously, not as bad as this—and the drainage system is generally not very good. Just two weeks ago, there was a heavy rain that caused water to flood to ankle high in the streets of some parts of Beijing.
On Chinese social networking sites, users have been uploading photos of the rain and the damage it caused.
Kotaku hopes that all our Beijing-based readers (as well as readers with family or friends in the city) are safe.
【画像】北京で61年間で最大の大雨！竜巻も！トイレも逆流！ [中国的爆発日記]
北京、ここ60年で最大の豪雨に見舞われる [燕京雑考編集後記]
Tough questions after Beijing rain storm kills 37 [AP]
Death toll from Beijing downpours rises to 37 [XinhuaNet]
北京暴雨致數十人身亡 [WSJ]