Beijing floods claim 44 lives, nine missing

The heavy rains in Beijing since July 23 have claimed 44 lives, with nine individuals still missing as of noon Thursday, according to local authorities at a news briefing.

Among the deceased, 31 lived in a nursing home in Miyun district.

Beijing experienced extreme downpours through Tuesday, which led to flooding in the northern mountainous districts of Miyun, Huairou, Pinggu, and Yanqing, said Xia Linmao, deputy mayor of Beijing, at Thursday's briefing.

The disaster has impacted over 300,000 residents and damaged 24,000 houses, according to official figures.

Rescue operations are underway across the hardest-hit regions.