Rescuers and residents stand next to a stranded car which is being pulled up from a flooded street under the Guangqumen overpass amid heavy rainfall in Beijing, July 21, 2012.[ Photo / China Daily ]

The 20-hour storm that hit Beijing on Saturday claimed the lives of 37 people — 25 of the deaths were caused by drowning, six were killed in house collapses,?the Beijing municipal government said Sunday night.

Millions of people across the capital were hit by the deluge and thousands were evacuated from their homes.

The heaviest rain in six decades lashed the Chinese capital on Saturday, with the average precipitation reaching 170 mm while a township in the suburban district of Fangshan recording 460 mm of rain.

The downpours have submerged some power supply facilities and led to blackouts in parts of the city.

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