At least 12 dead after floods hit central China
At least 12 people died in severe flooding yesterday in a Chinese provincial capital that trapped people in subways and schools, washed away vehicles and stranded people in their workplaces overnight.
The already drenched city of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, was hit by 20cm of rain from 4pm to 5pm, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Henan weather agency.
The torrent of rain turned streets into rivers and inundated subway stations and cars. Videos online showed entire neighbourhoods covered in waist-deep water and vehicles floating in the muddy mire.
Xinhua said that 12 had died and 100,000 people had been moved to safer places. Stranded people were spending the night in their workplaces or checked into hotels.
Wang Guirong, a 56-year-old restaurant manager, said she planned to sleep on the couch in her restaurant after being told there was no power in her neighbourhood.
“I have lived in Zhengzhou all my life and have never seen such a heavy rainstorm as today,” Wang said.
China experiences regular flooding during the summer months, but the conversion of farmland into subdivisions has raised the impact of such events.