Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- What has been described as the `` heaviest rain in six decades '' left at least 37 people dead and raised criticism about Beijing 's infrastructure and the government 's response to disasters . The torrential downpour lasted 10 hours over the weekend , producing gusty winds and a tornado in one suburb , according to local media . The deluge was the largest since 1951 , when the state weather record was established , according to Beijing Morning Post , bringing about 6.7 inches of rain in some parts of Beijing , and as much as 18 inches in the suburban Fangshan district . Of the 37 deaths in Beijing , 25 people drowned , reported Xinhua . Another six were killed in collapsing houses , five were electrocuted , and one was hit by lightning , the agency reported , citing the municipal government . The flooding killed 95 people and 45 were reported missing in 17 provincial areas of China , Xinhua reported . Nearly 6.23 million people were affected by the heavy rains , which started July 20 . The deaths from the storm triggered a torrent of criticism , even from a state-run newspaper , as well as Sina Weibo , the popular Chinese microblogging site . Some social media users implied the number of deaths was much higher . CNN contacted Beijing 's flood control office , municipal government emergency office and municipal meteorological bureau to get an updated death toll . The agencies said that they were too busy summarizing data and could n't make comments at the time . Questions CNN sent by fax to the state meteorological bureau were not returned by Monday afternoon . Although the weather had cleared in Beijing by Sunday morning , the flooding remained a hot topic , with many expressing outrage over the deaths and what they perceived as a botched government response . The Global Times published an article stating that the downpour `` exposes holes in the modernization drive . '' `` In recent years , floods caused by rain storms have repeatedly occurred in Chinese cities . And the latest downpour in Beijing has stirred up a new round of skepticism on the quality of infrastructure amid rapid urbanization . '' Many people marveled at how fragile the Beijing 's infrastructure seemed for a modern metropolis . Despite the billions of dollars spent to upgrade its roads and buildings , the city 's sewage system appeared quickly overwhelmed by the rainstorm . The Beijing-based media group , Caixin wrote on Weibo : `` Why is this happening once and again ? Year after year Beijing faces the same challenge , not even hosting the Olympics can provide a solution . That 's how vulnerable our capital city can be . '' Another user , chuntiangushi wrote : `` We can host the most luxurious Olympics and send satellites into space but can never seem to fix this drainage system . What a shame . '' Others disagreed . Weibo user VOo wrote : `` I think our city 's drainage system is till much better then a decade ago. `` Others were critical that there was no emergency broadcast system deployed , no government shelters and no special hotlines . Chinese media reported that there were various color-coded weather warnings , but several public policy experts complained in Chinese media that the warnings made sense only to experts , not the general public . Local television broadcasts focused on heroic stories of search and rescue efforts and people helping each other . Traffic was snarled for hours in the aftermath of the storm , leaving drivers and pedestrians stranded throughout the city . Many pitched into help one other as the streets were flooded , sometimes as deep as new figure is about 20 feet ( 6 meters ) . Some on Weibo praised the way residents helped each other , calling it the `` Beijing spirit . '' `` Beijing is a city with heart and soul . Love will pull us through the hardship , '' wrote user liushuhan . Thousands of emergency responders were deployed and divers had to be brought in to search for anyone trapped . Officials said almost 2 million people were affected by the rainstorm and the economic losses have exceeded $ 1.5 billion . The floods submerged some power supply facilities and led to blackouts in parts of the city , according to Xinhua . CNN 's Steven Jiang , Tian Shao , CY Xu and Madison Park contributed to this report .
Chinese netizens are criticizing lack of prepardeness for the weekend flooding . Text: I was watching a video on youtube about how people were trying to get their cars out from under water Sewage system was overwhelmed , despite recent modernization .