Streets and roads in Zhengzhou were flooded on Tuesday after an unusual amount of rain fell over central China. Foto: Chinatopix via AP / NTB
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At least 12 people have been killed in major flooding in central China. “Very seriously,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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Early Wednesday morning, state broadcaster CGTN reported that at least 12 people had been killed. Later Wednesday, local authorities in Henan’s provincial capital Zhengzhou announced that 200,000 people had been evacuated.
This is the worst rainfall in 1000 years, according to the news agency Reuters.
Floodwaters have flooded subway tunnels in Zhengzhou. State media and eyewitnesses on social media reported early Wednesday morning that hundreds of passengers were trapped on trains and in the tunnels. Video footage shows the water reaching up to their shoulders.
– The situation is gloomy
Around 600 seriously ill patients had to be transported away from a hospital in Zhenzhou when the electricity supply was cut off.
– This type of rain usually takes place once every 100 years. The situation is gloomy, says a press release from the flood control emergency authority in Zhengzhou.
The city has nine million inhabitants.
On Tuesday, the army warned that a dam was in danger of collapsing in the city of Luoyang, which has seven million inhabitants and is further west of Zhengzhou.
—-A flooded street in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Foto: China Daily / REUTERS / NTB
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Xi Jinping: – Serious injuries
“The floods in Henan province in central China are very serious,” said President Xi Jinping.
– Some dams have crossed their banks and caused serious damage, loss of life and damage to property. The flood situation is very serious, Xi said according to state media on Wednesday.
He also said that the situation at the moment is at a critical point.
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