33 confirmed dead as Beijing moves forward with flood relief

As of Tuesday, 33 people had been killed and 18 others missing caused by the heavy downpour that hit Beijing between July 29 and Aug 2, a senior Beijing official said on Wednesday.

Xia Linmao, a member of the Beijing municipal standing committee and executive vice-mayor, said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday that the deaths included five rescuers who sacrificed their lives in emergency rescue work during the disaster. 

"And one other rescuer is among the missing," he added.

Xia expressed deep condolences to the comrades who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and to the unfortunate victims.

"We extend our sincerest condolences to their families," he said.

The entire audience at the news conference stood up and observed a moment of silence to honor the deceased.

The flood disaster has affected nearly 1.29 million people and caused 59,000 houses to collapse and another 147,000 houses to be severely damaged, according to the conference.

Meanwhile, more than 15,000 hectares of farmland were affected by the flood, according to Xia.

"At present, these economic losses are still stage figures, and the property losses caused by the flood are still being calculated," he added.