Death toll in Beijing downpour rises to 10: media

BEIJING - The heaviest rain in 61 years in the Chinese capital Beijing has left 10 people dead as of 2 am Sunday, according to a report by the China Network Television (CNTV), a national web-based TV broadcaster owned by the state-owned China Central Television.

The CNTV reported that precipitation in the city proper had climbed to 212 mm as of 2 am, causing the evacuation of 14,500 local residents, the CNTV reported, citing Guo Jinlong, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the city's top chief.

The biggest precipitation occurred in the suburban district of Fangshan, hitting 460 mm, according to the report.

Guo said that almost 100,000 people were mobilized for rescue work during the strong rain that started trashing the city since Saturday morning.