Death toll from Beijing rainstorm rises to 78

BEIJING - The death toll from Beijing's devastating downpours on July 21 has risen to 78 after a body was newly found, government authorities said Friday.

The body of a 65-year-old man from the neighboring Hebei province was retrieved from a pond near Dongguan village of Fangshan district, according to a statement issued by the Beijing Municipality Government on its official microblog account at weibo.com, citing the city's floods control and drought relief office.

The statement also said one of the 11 unidentified bodies previously discovered had been identified.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Chinese capital received the heaviest rain in six decades. Average precipitation hit 170 mm, while a township in the suburban district of Fangshan recorded 460 mm of rainfall.