Beijing official dies while evacuating residents

An official in Beijing died while evacuating people during floods on July 31, according to a statement from the city government on Monday.

Liu Jie, 48, was deputy chief of Longquan township in Beijing's Mentougou district. In the early hours of July 31, Sanjiadian village experienced severe flood and Liu went to the scene to direct rescue work.

As the rainfall worsened in the morning, more than 300 people in Zhongmen Jiayuan community, Zhongmensi village and Zhaojiawa village had not yet been moved to safety. Liu drove there to take part in the evacuation work.

At 10:42 am on July 31, Liu arrived and began leading the efforts to bring residents to safety. As the water continued to inundate the road, Liu was swept away.

After a thorough search, his body was eventually discovered on Aug 1.