Thunderstorms disrupt flights in China, landslides feared in quake-hit area

Torrential rain storms are fairly frequent in Beijing in summer months causing delays at the airport

Thunderstorms lashed Beijing on Saturday, disrupting hundreds of flights at one of the world's largest airports, while authorities warned that rain and wind could cause landslides in the area where a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck this week.

Beijing city authorities raised their weather alert level early on Saturday afternoon to "orange" from "yellow", warning that lightning, hail, wind and as much as 70 mm of rain would hit the city, potentially causing flash floods in mountainous areas.

Beijing Capital International Airport urged travellers, in a statement on its website, to check for updates on their flights into and out of the city.

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