China floods: death toll rises to 29 in Hebei, and authorities warn damage could take years to fix

Northern province reports 16 still missing and 1.75 million relocated in wake of Typhoon Doksuri, which brought heavy rain and flooding

Provincial government says direct economic losses already exceed 95.8 billion yuan (US$13.4 billion)

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A man and child cross a damaged bridge in northern China’s Hebei province. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:00pm, 11 Aug 2023Updated: 4:18pm, 11 Aug 2023

The death toll from Typhoon Doksuri and the devastating floods that followed has risen to 29 in the northern Chinese province of Hebei, with 16 people still missing and close to 4 million people affected, the provincial government said on Friday morning.

Reconstruction could take as long as two years, it added.

The new death toll is more than three times the number announced by the province on August 1 and includes six people who were missing at the time. Rescue efforts are still under way.

Zhang Chengzhong, Hebei’s vice-governor, said on Friday that 3.88 million people in the province had been affected by the floods and 1.75 million had been resettled from their homes.

Among those relocated, 978,400 were previously living in “flood storage” areas and their homes were inundated by floodwaters.

Authorities in Hebei said they would try to ensure residents forced to move could return home or move into new residences before winter.

More than 40,000 houses collapsed and over 150,000 others were seriously damaged in the torrential rains and floods that affected 110 counties in Hebei, Zhang said.

Zhang added that 1,150 schools and 1,871 medical facilities were damaged.