BEIJING: Beijing city officials admitted on Thursday (Jul 31) they had not been prepared for heavy rains that soaked swathes of the capital, killing 44 people and leaving nine still missing. Swathes of northern China have endured deadly rains and floods since last week that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands.

The dayslong rainstorms have left 30 dead in the Chinese capital and eight dead in its neighboring province of Hebei, state-run broadcaster CCTV said.

Extreme weather killed at least 30 people in Beijing after a year's worth of rain fell in less than a week, forcing the relocation of more than 80,000 people, damaging roads and cutting off power and communications in more than 130 villages.