Death toll from Beijing Rainstorm climbs to 78

The death toll from rain-triggered disasters and accidents in Beijing on July 21 has climbed to 78 as one more body was recovered, the Beijing flood control and drought relief headquarters said Saturday. The victim found in the worst-hit suburban Fangshan district in southwestern Beijing, where 43 died, was identified as Li Ruixin, a 65-year-old native of Hebei province, said Liu Hongwei, a spokesman for the headquarters. Of the 78 victims, 10 remained to be identified, Xinhua quoted Liu as saying. The severe landslides and flash floods complicated the search for missing people as well as the victims' identification, but the work never stopped, the official said. Beijing was battered by the heaviest rain in six decades on July 21. Average precipitation hit 170 mm, while a township in the suburban district of Fangshan recorded 460 mm of rain.