Torrential rains in China have killed at least 30 people and left at least 35 people missing, state media reported today, as the country grapples with extreme weather events and locally unusual temperatures.

Much of the north is being hit by heat waves, including the capital Beijing, where the mercury exceeded 35 degrees Celsius for days, while the passage of Typhoon Gaemi last week caused heavy rain and flooding in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

The typhoon then weakened, but the central part of the country was also faced with the effects of the bad weather.

Zixing County, located 1,500 kilometers southwest of Beijing, recorded record rainfall earlier this week with 645mm of rain in 24 hours, the official Xinhua news agency reported at the time.

A village next to this city in Hunan Province (center) was temporarily cut off from the rest of the world, with no access to communications or road network.

Authorities deployed more than 5,000 rescuers there and more than 11,000 residents were evacuated, according to Xinhua.

Torrential rains on Monday have left at least 30 dead, with the number of missing rising to 35, according to a tally released today by state broadcaster CCTV.

The previous toll announced on Tuesday was 4 dead and 3 missing.

The country has been affected in recent months by extreme weather phenomena and temperatures unusual for the season. These phenomena have been exacerbated by climate change, according to scientists.

July was China’s hottest month on record since records were kept, CCTV reported today, as high temperatures hit many parts of the world.

A red heat alert was issued in Shanghai today. In the afternoon local time, thermometers showed 39.9 degrees Celsius in China’s financial capital.

“Next week, the situation will be the same. I feel like I’m on a hot metal plate,” wrote one user on the social networking site Weibo.

“It’s so hot. Did Shanghai do something to anger the gods?,” wrote another in a humorous mood.