Heavy rains that have soaked swathes of northern China killed four people and left eight missing on Monday, state media said, as downpours force thousands to evacuate across the capital city and surrounding areas.

Authorities in Beijing have issued the country's second-highest warning for rainstorms and the highest for floods, with the downpours expected to last into Tuesday morning.

In Hebei province, which encircles the capital, the heavy rains caused a landslide in a village near the city of Chengde, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Four were killed and eight are still missing, it said, with the national emergency management department dispatching a team to inspect the "severe" flooding in the province, where a further two died over the weekend.

Over 4,600 people were evacuated over the weekend in Fuping County, while in neighbouring Shanxi province, one person was rescued and 13 were missing after a bus accident, state media said.

Footage from the broadcaster showed roads in the province and a crop field submerged in rushing water on Sunday.

In Beijing, over 4,000 people in suburban Miyun district were evacuated due to torrential rains.

The area's reservoir "recorded its largest inflow flood" since it was built more than six decades ago, state media reported.

Water conservancy authorities on Monday announced China's No 1 flood of major rivers of 2025 in the Luanhe River, located in Haihe River Basin.

Due to the recent heavy rainfall, the Luanhe River has experienced a rise in water levels. At 4.30am on Monday, the inflow rate at the Panjiakou Reservoir on the main stream of the Luanhe River rose to 2,270 cubic meters per second, according to the Haihe River Water Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources.

Based on relevant standards, this marks the occurrence of the first flood of 2025 for the Luanhe – also the first for all major rivers in the country in 2025.

A maximum inflow rate of about 4,000 cubic meters per second is expected at the Panjiakou Reservoir on Monday night.

Beijing, also located in the Haihe River Basin, has been experiencing heavy rainfall over the past few days. Torrential rains, notably, have resulted in the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents in Beijing's suburban district of Miyun. (AFP/Xinhua)
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Last updated: 2025-07-28 HKT 15:12