Chinese state media say that 30 people have died in heavy rains and flooding in Beijing. State broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday that 28 people had died in Beijing's hard-hit Miyun district and two others in Yanqing as of midnight. More heavy rain fell overnight in the Chinese capital.

Reports on Monday said heavy rains and flooding killed four people, with eight other still missing. The victims were caught in a landslide in Hebei province. That brings the death toll from the storms to at least 34 people.

More than 40,000 people were evacuated from outer districts of Beijing and the neighbouring city of Tianjin as authorities released water from a reservoir in Beijing's rural Miyun district that was at its highest level since it was built in 1959. Authorities warned people to stay away from rivers downstream as their levels rose and as more heavy rain was forecast.