Two men were swept away by torrents on Pingguoyuan South Road, Beijing's Shijingshan district, caused by the downpour about 5:30 pm on Thursday, the Beijing News reported Friday. Chances of survival are slim.

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The two men are employees of a decoration company, and were pushing a company car through the water before being washed into a nearby manhole. According to the company's employees, the manhole was uncovered during the rain, though it's not clear whether the lid was carried away by floodwater or lifted off by someone.

The local fire brigade and police arrived at the scene later, but were not able to go into the drainage until 10 am because of the strong water current. Rescuers are looking for the missing men in nearby outfalls, but it is likely that they got stuck inside, and their chances of survival are dismal.