56 killed in flood-ravaged China's Henan province
Jul 24, 2021
Henan [China], July 24 : At least 56 people were killed in the downpour and floods in Central China's Henan province as of Friday.
At least 4,95,000 people were temporarily evacuated, and 529,000 were relocated by the government, Global Times reported citing the provincial government.
Meanwhile, the rain-induced torrents still threaten Xinxiang and Hebi cities after the Weihe River and several reservoirs breached and overflowed, submerging fields and stranding villagers.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Central Theater Command has dispatched 25,000 soldiers, armed police and militiamen to Henan. They are rushing against the clock to transfer people trapped by rising floodwaters.
China State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters coordinated a team of water resources, emergency management and health ministries on Friday to oversee flood response in Xinxiang.
Torrential rains have battered Henan province since last weekend. Several videos surfaced on social media showing the severity of the flooding.
Zhengzhou. the provincial capital of 12 million people, is one of the worst-hit areas.
Zhengzhou's meteorological station has described the level of rainfall as "once in a thousand years."
Henan's water resources department, meanwhile, has called rain levels in parts of the province "once in 5,000 years."
