Flood toll in central China stands at 51 dead

Flood deaths caused by torrential rains in central China’s Zhengzhou city jump to 51, state television reported on Friday CGTN.

The city, the provincial capital of Henan, in central China, has been devastated since Tuesday by heavy flooding that damaged more than 44,000 hectares of cultivated land, which according to the source represents an economic loss of about 65.5 million yuan (10 million dollars).

State People’s Daily pointed out that more than 395,000 people have been displaced by the rains that since Tuesday they have struck the city of Zhengzhou, of ten million inhabitants.

The latest figure announced by the authorities was 33 dead and eight missing on Thursday, but relating to the whole of Henan province.

Thunderstorms moved to the north of the province which, added to the emergency operation, allowed the gradual return to normality in Zhengzhou, whose airport is now resuming air traffic.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the province, the overflow of the Weihe River caused the evacuation, this morning (time GMT +8), of several thousand people whose municipalities were flooded.

The town of Hebi, where this event occurred and which is located in a mountainous area, recorded the record for precipitation in 24 hours in Henan province: 675.5 millimeters of rainwater between Wednesday and Thursday, and in some areas the water has reached the first floor of some buildings.

In the neighboring district of Muye, 9,000 people were evacuatedWhile the rescue teams are busy evacuating 19,000 others.

Also, in the neighboring town of Niuchang, on the banks of the Yellow River, the state press shows images of a modular floating bridge assembled at dawn which allowed the eviction of a thousand villagers.

(With information from EFE)

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