Flooding Closes Road in Beijing Suburb

Tuesday night's predicted heavy rain kicked off July, Beijing's rainiest month, with flooding in the suburb of Yanjiao that left at least 15 cars abandoned and a main road from Yanjiao to Shunyi blocked.

By 1am Wednesday, about 40 centimeters of water lay on the roadway at the southern end of Yanshun Lu, which connects the Beijing suburb that lies just over the Hebei province border from Beijing municipality, about 30 kilometers due east of the China World Trade Center. Water could be seen pouring out of sewer covers, suggesting that they had reached capacity due to the heavy rain that began at about 8pm.

The flooded road either caused some vehicles to malfunction, or drivers to lose their nerve about driving into potentially deeper water, harking back to flooding in 2012, when some drivers drowned in their cars. Despite the perceived danger, the water was not deep enough to threaten life, although smaller, lower cars may have experienced engine failure.

By 1pm Wednesday, the roadways were clear of water, but some cars remained on the main roadway where they had been abandoned.

Record rain on July 21, 2012 killed 77 people around Beijing, and was serious enough to cause Beijing's mayor and vice-mayor at the time to step down. Motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are advised to avoid flooded areas and leave their vehicle if in doubt.

Photos: Steven Schwankert/the Beijinger