ANKARA

At least 30 people have died in China’s capital as heavy rainfall pounded Beijing, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage and mass evacuations, with President Xi Jinping urging all-out efforts to ensure safety of lives and property, state media reported on Tuesday.

​​​​​​​Among the dead, 28 were reported in the suburban Miyun District, the hardest-hit area, while two fatalities occurred in Yanqing District, the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported, citing local officials.

The heavy rain, which began days earlier, has damaged 31 roads and caused power outages across 136 villages, hitting multiple base stations and disrupting essential services.

Beijing recorded an average of 165.9 millimeters (6.53 inches) of rainfall, but Miyun bore the brunt with an extraordinary 543.4 millimeters (21.39 inches), the highest in the region.

So far, 80,332 people have been relocated, with Miyun, Huairou and Fangshan districts having the highest evacuation numbers.

Authorities have launched flood control and emergency relief operations as drones are being deployed to deliver vital supplies to isolated areas.

In Liulimiao Town in Huairou District, rescue teams airdropped over 3,000 items, including bottled water, bread and sausages.

The National Development and Reform Commission said Tuesday that it has allocated 200 million yuan ($27.9 million) to assist relief efforts in Beijing.

Thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated from Jizhou district in northern China's Tianjin municipality after the most severe flash flood in 70 years struck the region, inundating 13 villages and triggering a top-level emergency response.

As of Tuesday, around 10,527 residents have been evacuated to seven emergency shelters.

Vessels have returned to harbor to take shelter and ferry services have been suspended after Typhoon Co-May, the eighth typhoon of this year, brought heavy rainfall to Xiangshan County in East China's Zhejiang province.

Recently, continuous heavy rainfalls have occurred in eastern, northern and northeastern regions of China, triggering floods and geological disasters and causing heavy casualties in Beijing, Hebei, Jilin and Shandong.

President Xi urged all-out efforts to ensure the safety of lives and property in the fight against floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfalls, state-run Xinhua News reported.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid and Aamir Latif