Deadly floods sweep central China, Xi describes situation as ‘very severe’

Beijing [China]: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday described the situation as “very severe” as record-breaking rains devastated parts of Henan province, and ordered authorities to “prioritize the safety of people’s lives and property”, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Footage broadcast by Xinhua and shared widely online showed passengers in Zhengzhou trapped inside a flooded subway car, packed tightly together as the water rises. Outside the window, dark floodwater rips past, surging down the subway tracks.

Terrified subway passengers were left clinging to ceiling handles inside flooded cars on Tuesday, trapped up to their necks in rising water, reported CNN.

Many of those trapped posted calls for help on social media, according to screenshots circulated online and statements from the Henan fire department.

The city’s subway system, which contains seven lines and 153 stations, suspended all operations after the incident, said provincial authorities, reported CNN.

The videos of the flooding coming from China’s Henan province are terrifying. These people were trapped on a subway train pic.twitter.com/kpJO2ydV1V

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 20, 2021

Other videos showed residents on the street, water up to their hips, working desperately to pull out people trapped in an underground mall using ropes. Others showed people making a human chain, to prevent being swept away by the current as they struggled through rushing water.

At least 12 people have been confirmed dead in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, where more than 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rain fell in one hour on Tuesday, according to China’s meteorological observatory, reported CNN.

All of the bodies recovered were taken from the city’s subway system, said provincial authorities.

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from Zhengzhou, a city of 12.6 million on the banks of the Yellow River, with thousands of emergency personnel deployed to assist in the effort, state media reported.

In Gongyi, at least four people were reported to have died, as flood waters swept through residential areas, forcing more than 20,000 people to leave their homes.

The heavy rains also caused power outages across the city. One hospital, housing nearly 10,000 patients, faced a complete blackout Tuesday, with social media photos showing its first floor submerged in water.

2/3: A woman rescued in flood waters in Zhengzhou, Henan (video from WeChat). pic.twitter.com/6fOblgl5OL

— Bill Birtles (@billbirtles) July 20, 2021

On Weibo, China’s heavily censored version of Twitter, a user said the power outage had cut off ventilators in intensive care units at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, reported CNN.

The People’s Daily later confirmed the blackout at the hospital, where it said over 600 critically ill patients needed to be transferred. By Wednesday morning, power had been restored at the ICU unit, the newspaper said.

Though flooding during the summer months is an annual occurrence in parts of China, recent record-breaking rains have alarmed scientists and officials, raising questions as to whether the country is prepared to deal with more extreme and unpredictable weather amplified by climate change, reported CNN.

A report released last week by Greenpeace warned that major metropolitan regions around Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou-Shenzhen were under threat from extreme heat and rainfall. Beijing has seen the fastest rise in average temperature of 0.32 degrees Celsius every 10 years. Guanzhou-Shenzhen has experienced 98 heat waves since 1961, most in the past two decades.

Firefighters rescue people across China’s Henan province after heavy rainfall led to severe flooding — including in a subway tunnel. pic.twitter.com/pWEQObn9m5

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 20, 2021

The report also said if global greenhouse emissions peak around 2040, some parts of China like Shanghai would experience a more than 25% increase in extreme rainfall — while other areas, like north-western Guangzhou-Shenzhen, would see more drought.

Though the rains have since eased, problems are likely to persist, as dozens of dams and reservoirs have breached warning levels, reported CNN.

There were conflicting reports about the status of the Guojiazui dam near Zhengzhou, with CGTN initially announcing that it had collapsed at 1:30 am on Wednesday, before later appearing to walk back its reporting.

A statement from the Ministry of Emergency Management also said the dam had broken, according to a screenshot cited by the state-run China Daily. However, that line has since been removed, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, in the city of Luoyang west of Zhengzhou, Chinese military personnel raced to blast a dam and divert the floods on Tuesday night at the request of county authorities.

Heavy rains had caused a 20-meter (65 foot) breach in the dam, which authorities said “may collapse at any time,” according to a statement from the Central Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, reported CNN.