Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
26 July 2012 10:09
Heavy rain in Beijing has stranded thousands of tourists
Thousands of passengers have been stranded in Beijing after the Chinese capital was hit by its heaviest rainfall for 60 years.
More than 500 flights have been cancelled at the city's main airport due to the deluge, which began on Saturday afternoon, according to the Beijing News.
The rain carried on into the night, flooding major roads and causing lightning strikes and roof collapses.
The extreme weather, which left 37 people dead, is believed to have cost 10 billion yuan (£960 million), Pan Anjun, deputy chief of Beijing flood control headquarters, told the Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua estimated that 460mm of rain fell in the Fangshan district of Beijing, while the average across the capital was 170mm.
With so many tourists trapped in such tragic circumstances, the incident is a reminder that heading abroad can be a step into the unknown and securing travel insurance can provide some protection.
UK student Tom Smith, who has spent a year living in China, explained to the BBC that the storm felt like "standing under a waterfall".
He said: "All the manholes had vanished because the water was sitting on top of them. It looked very dangerous and very difficult to find where these holes were."
19 April 2018
A self-injected smart drug may be the key to easing and preventing pain for migraine sufferers.
[more...]
17 April 2018
Despite its reputation as a party drug, ketamine is licensed as an anaesthetic. A recent US study found use of the drug via a nasal spray led to "significant" improvements in depressive symptoms in the first 24 hours.
Simple brain-training exercises carried out at home have been shown to reduce emotional stress in female breast cancer survivors, it's recently been revealed.
13 April 2018
Drinkers who consume more alcohol than UK guidelines suggest could be cutting years off their lives, according to new research.
12 April 2018
A recent study has revealed that people who sustain brain injuries are at an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.
11 April 2018
Scientists have announced their latest breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer's disease, after neutralising a high-risk gene in a human brain cell for the first time.
07 April 2018
The Philippines is set to shut its most famous holiday island of Boracay for six months, after the President described it as a "cesspool".
05 April 2018
Taxes on soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco - nicknamed "sin taxes" - could be a powerful step towards combating rising rates of chronic diseases worldwide, research has suggested.
New "one-stop shops" to speed up cancer diagnosis are being trialled across the country for the first time.
30 March 2018
Doctors should tell patients that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking but not without risk, according to new national guidance.
29 March 2018
Young people suffering from mental health problems are finding it hard to get the support they need, a survey has revealed.
28 March 2018
Children exposed to epilepsy drugs in the womb may achieve poorer test results at school, a study has suggested.