Twelve killed in heavy rain, floods in central China
(Sourced from PTI)
At least 12 people were killed while about 100,000 have been relocated to safe places in China's central Henan province which received the highest daily rainfall since the weather record began, state media reported on Wednesday. Provincial capital Zhengzhou reported record-high hourly precipitation of 201.9mm between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm on Tuesday, the Henan provincial meteorological center said. Here are more details.
The downtown area of Zhengzhou received average precipitation of 457.5mm within 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest daily rainfall since the weather record began, Xinhua news agency reported. Henan province is home to many cultural sites and a major base for industry and agriculture. Reports said that the infamous Shaolin Temple, known for Buddhist monks' mastery of martial arts, was severely hit by floods.
The severe 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 temporarily suspended. Rainwater poured into the subway tunnel of the city's Line Five, trapping an unknown number of passengers aboard a subway train.
"Police officers, firefighters, and workers from the local sub-district have arrived at the site for the rescue operation. The water level inside subway carriage is receding, and the passengers are temporarily safe," the report said. Over 160 train services were stopped at Zhengzhoudong Railway Station.
Zhengzhou airport canceled 260 flights and local railway authorities also halted or delayed some trains. Affected by the rainstorms, several residential communities in the city are without tap water and electricity. Both Henan provincial and Zhengzhou municipal meteorological bureaus have raised emergency response for meteorological disasters to level I. Heavy rains in Henan are expected to last until Wednesday night, according to forecasts.
Notably, neighboring India has also reported several deaths due to heavy rainfall and severe flooding. Moreover, parts of Europe have also been grappling with heavy rainfall and floods. Around 169 people lost their lives in Germany, while Belgium reported around 31 deaths. Heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse.
