Deadly Landslide Hits Northern China as Flood Warnings Spread Across 11 Provinces

Northern China is getting slammed with some of the worst weather in years. Over the weekend, a deadly landslide hit a village near Chengde in Hebei province, killing four people and leaving eight missing, state media reported Monday. It’s all part of a brutal stretch of heavy rain that’s soaked the region and triggered chaos across at least 11 provinces.

The storm that caused the landslide was one of many dumping nonstop rain across the north. In Beijing’s outer Miyun District, entire villages have flooded. Over 4,000 people were forced to evacuate as roads turned to rivers and houses were swallowed by muddy water. Photos and videos on Chinese social apps showed floating cars, submerged buildings, and streets that looked more like lakes.

More than 10,000 people in Miyun lost power, and officials say the situation’s still evolving.

On Monday, Beijing issued its highest-level flood alert. At the same time, China’s Water Resources Ministry flagged 11 provinces and regions for possible flooding, warning that more rain is on the way this week. The national emergency office sent out inspection teams to Hebei to deal with what they’re calling “severe flooding.”

In Shanxi province, things don’t look much better. Roads are under water, crops are gone, and trees are submerged. That province, which includes the ancient city of Xi’an, also issued flash flood warnings.

China’s seen a sharp rise in extreme weather, especially in areas that used to stay dry. Scientists say climate change is playing a major role, with shifting weather patterns dumping more rain in the north than ever before.

To help with the fallout, China’s planning agency has pledged about $7 million (50 million yuan) to rebuild damaged bridges, roads, schools and hospitals in Hebei.

But it’s clear this isn’t a one-off.

Just this month alone:

• Two people died and 10 went missing in flash floods in Shandong.

• A highway landslide in Sichuan killed five people after dragging multiple cars off a mountainside.

These disasters are adding up fast, especially as storms tied to the East Asian monsoon keep hammering the region.

With input from Al Jazeera