Beijing urges all-out effort after rain disaster

The Beijing government has called for an all-out effort to deal with the aftermath of the city's worst rain in 61 years. The disaster claimed dozens of lives and caused an economic loss of up to 10 billion yuan($1.57 billion).

The focus of the work will shift to disaster relief, handling of the aftermath and maintaining stability, Mayor Guo Jinlong said at a government meeting on Sunday night.

Guo said the priority goes to relocation of victims and prevention of the spread of a pandemic. Rechecking infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and power and communication equipment should also be performed in order to rule out secondary disasters and new losses.

The 16-hour rainstorm has seriously battered the capital since Saturday afternoon. As of 5:00 pm Sunday, 37 people were killed, 1.9 million were impacted and the economic loss is expected to reach nearly 10 billion yuan, according to a news briefing on Sunday evening.