25 killed, over 1 million affected as floods hit central China

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ rainfall triggers mayhem in Henan province; army deployed to rescue trapped people

At least 25 people, including 12 subway passengers, were killed when heavy downpours hit China’s central Henan province, prompting President Xi Jinping on Wednesday to deploy the Army for rescue work.

A total of 1.24 million (12.4 lakh) people were affected and 1,60,000 evacuated, state-run Global Times reported. Seven people are missing, it said.

The massive floods, described by meteorologists as a once-in-a-lifetime event, has resulted in apocalyptic scenes in the provincial capital Zhengzhou, a metropolis of 12.6 million. Its downtown area received an average precipitation of 457.5 mm within 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest daily rainfall since the weather record began, Xinhua reported.

Devastation caused by record rain on Tuesday. Pics/AFP

The torrent of rain turned streets into rapidly flowing rivers and inundated subways stations and cars. Videos posted online showed entire neighbourhoods covered in waist-deep water and vehicles floating in the muddy mire. Heavy waterlogging has led to the virtual paralysis of the city’s road traffic. Over 80 bus lines have been suspended, more than 100 temporarily detoured and the subway service has also been halted.

Also read: 12 killed in heavy rain, floods in central China

Police officers, firefighters and local have arrived at the site for the rescue operation, the report said. The water level inside subway carriages is receding, and the passengers are temporarily safe, it said. More than 160 train services were stopped at Zhengzhoudong Railway Station.

To the north of Zhengzhou, the famed Shaolin Temple known for its Buddhist monks’ mastery of martial arts was badly hit. Meanwhile, the death count in Europe floods has touched 200.

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