at least 58 dead and typhoon In-Fa is approaching

Heavy rains, concentrated in the provincial capital, Zhengzhou, where five people are still missing, forced the evacuation of more than 376,000 people.

Since July 16, more than 9 million people in this province have been affected by the meteorological phenomenon, as indicated by the CGTN channel. Thousands of firefighters and members of the Chinese military continue to work in the region, where search and rescue efforts continue.

The authorities, for their part, believe that the typhoon could make landfall this Sunday in the east of the country.

Flights are still canceled and public transport service is almost entirely suspended.

In addition, dozens of ships were evacuated from one of Shanghai’s ports. On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Chinese President Xi Jinping of his support for the severe flood damage in the Asian giant, according to the KCNA news agency.

Kim thus expressed his “sincere regrets” for the victims of the rains and wished a speedy recovery to the victims “as soon as possible”.

For his part, the Chinese president described the flooding as “extremely serious”, while the authorities stressed that “This type of rain is generally observed once every thousand years.”

China has closed ports and railways to prepare for Typhoon In-Fa, as parts of the country struggle to recover from the devastating floods earlier this week that killed at least 58 people and five are still missing, state news agency Xinhua reported.

According to forecasts from the observatory, heavy rains will hit Henan province, while strong typhoon In-Fa is gaining strength and advancing towards the east of the country.

In-Fa is expected to make landfall on Sunday evening in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, near Shanghai, according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.

In this regard, authorities have issued a Level III alert – the third highest – and more than 100 trains crossing the region have been canceled, China Railway said.

In addition, authorities in Shanghai have closed public parks and museums and on Saturday warned residents to suspend “large-scale gatherings abroad” and stay at home.