Courageous moments

On July 21, Beijing suffered the heaviest rainstorm in six decades that has left 77 people dead and more than 12.28 billion yuan ($1.92 billion) in economic losses, forcing 226,600 people to relocate to safer areas. A rainstorm so strong it paralyzed traffic and severely tested human strength, proving that nature shows no mercy. But love, unity, and mutual assistance make us feel warm in the face of a ruthless storm. Here we'd like to pay our tribute to the heroes who risked their lives to help others.

Passengers lift a baby carriage from a flooded underpass near Beijing's West Railway Station on July 21.

Dozens of people pull a vehicle out of the water under the Guangqumen Bridge on July 21.

A trapped female is saved from her car's sunroof near Lishui Bridge in Beijing on July 21.

Firefighters and volunteers rescue passengers trapped in a train, by deep rain waters in Beijing, on July 21.

On July 21, sanitation workers act as "human road signs" near the Beitaiping Bridge.

Fire fighters search for missing people in 4-meter-deep water under Guangqumen Bridge on July 21.

On July 23, a memorial ceremony is held for Li Fanghong, a police inspector who lost his life while trying to rescue trapped villagers.

A brave traffic policeman up to his knees in water insists on directing traffic in the rain on July 21.

400 students and teachers are rescued from a flooded military school in Fangshan District in Beijing, On July 22.

Fire fighters rescue trapped passengers from their cars on the stormy night of Beijing, on July 21.

Netizens spontaneously organize a voluntary motorcade to pick up stranded passengers from the the airport.

Li Chengyou, a sanitation worker, submerges himself almost completely underwater to clear a blocked sewage drain in Haidian District.