Death toll in recent Beijing flooding rises to 33, with 18 still missing

BEIJING (AP) — The death toll in recent flooding in China’s capital has risen to 33, including five rescuers, and another 18 people remain missing. Days of heavy rain hit areas in the city’s mountainous western outskirts especially hard, causing the collapse of 59,000 homes, damage to almost 150,000 others and flooding of more than 37,000 acres of cropland. Scores of roads were damaged, along with more than 100 bridges. Xia Linmao, a Beijing vice mayor, said the casualty and damage numbers were current as of Tuesday and that rescue efforts remained underway. Given the level of damage, it could take up to three years to restore full functions, Xia said. Other parts of China have also seen heavy flooding.