In this Tuesday July 24, 2012 photo, vehicles damaged in a flood pile up
off road in Yesanpo Scenic Zone, a resort near the capital Beijing, in
Laishui county, in northern China's Hebei province. The People's Daily
newspaper says Beijing's mayor and a vice mayor have resigned in what is
likely a routine reshuffling but which comes amid public questioning of
the government’s handling of rainstorms that left at least 37 dead in
the capital. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT
Beijing’s mayor and a vice mayor have
resigned, state media reported Wednesday, in what is likely a routine
reshuffling that comes amid public questioning of the city government’s
handling of rainstorms that left at least 37 dead in the capital.
The announcement came as more rain was
forecast to hit Beijing and amid signs that the death toll from last
weekend’s rain could jump higher. The official Xinhua News Agency
reported that the top official in the hardest-hit district said their
fatality and injury figures were still preliminary.
China Central Television showed new amateur
video of the deadly flash flood that hit the rural community of Fangshan
Saturday, with pictures of a high river of brown water roiling through
the small town’s streets with enough force to push cars along.
Xinhua said district head Qi Hong told
reporters Tuesday that "Fangshan has suffered major losses, and the
numbers are still in the process of being compiled." The district’s
fatality figures were never separately released but incorporated in the
overall city toll.
The Beijing News reported online that Li
Shixiang, head of the Beijing government committee set up to deal with
the disaster’s aftermath, told members at their first meeting Wednesday
that updated information about the missing and dead would be released
"in due time."
Outgoing Mayor Guo Jinlong had already been
tapped for a promotion to the city’s top position as Communist Party
secretary, so his resignation was not unexpected. One of his vice
mayors, Ji Lin, also resigned and state media reported earlier that Ji
had taken up a position as head of the city’s Political and Legal
Committee.
The massive flooding was a major embarrassment
for China’s capital, which spent billions of dollars modernizing the
city while apparently neglecting its drainage systems.
State media, analysts and ordinary netizens
have piled on criticism of the city’s handling of the crisis and its
lack of preparedness.
Though Guo’s promotion appears to be moving
forward, the storm and its fallout are a taint on him and his mentor and
ally President Hu Jintao. As Beijing’s party secretary, Guo is almost
certain to be named to the powerful 25-member Politburo at a party
congress later this year.
Xinhua said Wang Anshun, a Beijing city official since 2007, was appointed acting mayor.
By Alexa Olesen@Associated Press
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