Rescuers sacrifice lives in relief operation in flood-hit Beijing

The two rescue workers with the Blue Sky Rescue Team lost their lives in an operation to evacuate 40 villagers trapped by torrential rain-triggered floods in Southwestern Beijing.

On July 31, their rescue boat carrying six rescuers and two road maintenance workers overturned and all of them fell into the floodwater. After an intensive search, the six other members of the team were rescued, before the two bodies were found. Beijing saw heavy downpours over the past days, and Fangshan District was one of the worst-hit areas in the city, with many residents stuck by the flood.