Beijing shuts tourist sites, suspends bus routes as rain continues

BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Beijing shut tourist attractions, suspended bus services and construction work, and evacuated residents from high-risk areas as heavy rain continued to lash the Chinese capital on Wednesday.

The city closed 151 tourist attractions and 157 camping sites, and suspended operations at more than 4,100 rural homestays. A total of 250 bus routes were halted, while trains on 10 subway lines were ordered to run at reduced speeds. All sightseeing boat services were also suspended.

Beijing recorded an average of 23.5 millimeters of rain from Tuesday noon to 8 a.m. Wednesday, with the heaviest rainfall reported in Miyun District, where 199.6 millimeters fell.

By 6 p.m. Tuesday, residents in mountainous villages, low-lying areas and other places at risk of flooding and geological disasters had been evacuated, authorities said.

More than 5,000 elderly people were evacuated from 271 care facilities, while over 280 people were moved from five facilities serving people with disabilities.

All 3,357 construction sites across the city were ordered to suspend work. Authorities also stepped up flood-control measures, with reservoirs releasing water in advance to create additional storage capacity.

The National Meteorological Center renewed its orange alert for torrential rain on Wednesday, forecasting heavy rain across a broad swath of the country through Thursday morning.