WEAK RESPONSE

Chinese Gov't Criticized After Floods

Thirty-seven left dead after heaviest rainfall in decades.

Thirty-seven are dead in China following the “heaviest rain in six decades,” and the government is being criticized for Beijing's insufficient infrastructure as well as delayed response. The floods were brought on by 10 hours of torrential rains and at least one tornado over the weekend—the worst storm since Beijing began recording its weather in 1951. Six people were killed in collapsed houses, five were electrocuted, one person was struck by lightning, and the rest drowned. Several media outlets, including even the state-run newspaper, questioned the government’s handling of the disaster, with some suggesting that many more people had died than what was reported.