Tianjin residents bid farewell to PLA soldiers who aided in flood rescue

Residents of Tianjin's Jinghai district bid farewell on Saturday to the soldiers of People's Liberation Army who had been supporting them in their fight against floods since late July.

Heavy rainfall caused by Typhoon Doksuri and cold air led to widespread flooding in the Haihe River Basin, which includes the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, from July 28 to Aug 1.

Around 37,000 residents of the district were relocated to safer areas. They were able to return to home on Sunday.

Overall, the city has relocated and resettled a total of 86,484 residents.

More than 8,000 PLA soldiers participated in rescue and relief efforts, including raising the levels of dams by laying sandbags, reinforcing river banks and optimizing flood prevention facilities, according to Jinyun, a local news app.