Flights cancelled and schools closed as Beijing hit by storm

BEIJING: Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Beijing as schools and tourist sites were shut due to torrential downpours and gale-force winds on Monday.

City authorities issued warnings to residents to stay home as the Chinese capital faced its biggest storm this year.

As much as 100 millimetres of rain is predicted through the day in some areas, and aviation tracker VariFlight recorded some 700 flights cancelled at the city’s two airports.

Weather authorities warned of “extreme rainstorms” plus thunder and lightning from late Sunday to Monday evening in Beijing and neighbouring areas.

A landslide was recorded in one of the city’s northern districts, with state broadcaster CCTV showing pictures of a road blocked by fallen rocks. Heavy rain was holding up efforts to clear the road, according to state TV.