Death toll in north China rises to 60

Extreme weather killed at least 60 people in northern China over the past week, with 31 deaths in an elderly care home in Beijing's hilly Miyun district in one of the deadliest floods to have hit the Chinese capital in years.

In Beijing, 44 people were killed and nine were missing as of midday yesterday, deputy mayor of Beijing, Xia Linmao, said at a press conference.

Heavy rains began a week ago and peaked around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, with Miyun experiencing rainfall of up to 573.5 mm (22.6 inches) - levels local media described as "extremely destructive." The average annual rainfall in Beijing is around 600 mm.

In the nearby province of Hebei, 16 people died as a result of the intense rainfall, authorities said.

At least eight were killed in the city of Chengde just outside Beijing, with 18 unaccounted for.

The deaths occurred in villages within the Xinglong area of Chengde in Hebei province, state-run Xinhua reported late on Wednesday citing local authorities, without specifying when or how the people died.

The deaths in Chengde occurred in villages which border Beijing's Miyun about 25 km (16 miles) from the Miyun reservoir, the largest in China's north.