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NEW VIDEO: Dozens are dead after floods destroy parts of Central China

Jul 22, 2021

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People in the Henan province in Central China continued cleanup efforts Thursday after floods killed at least 33 people in the area earlier in the week. The video above shows ongoing flooding in the cities of Zhengzhou, Xinxiang and Anyang seen Wednesday and Thursday.

Another eight people remain missing in the floods. Tens of thousands of people have been moved to emergency shelters.

On its news app, state broadcaster CCTV said more than 3 million people in Henan have been affected by the flooding, and direct economic losses are estimated to be $189 million.

Residents of Zhengzhou, the capital city of the Henan province, shoveled mud from their homes and hauled away wrecked cars and piles of destroyed belongings as rain continued to fall.

Zhengzou was hit by eight inches of rain from 4 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday alone, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, citing the Henan weather agency. Two people died later that night when the city’s subway system was inundated with flood waters.

CCTV said the storm front then shifted to northeastern Henan, affecting cities including Hebi, Anyang and Xinxiang. According to the Xinxiang’s weather agency, the city saw its heaviest rainfall in recorded history, with more than 9.8 inches in a 19-hour window between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, CCTV reported public transport in Anyang has been suspended, and people were asked to work from home on Thursday.

Just as the rainstorms wind down, Typhoon In-Fa is approaching Taiwan and the costal provinces in southeastern mainland China. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau issued a warning saying heavy rain will affect Taipei City and other northern parts of the island through Thursday night.

The China Meteorological Administration said the storm is then expected to move on to the Chinese mainland, battering Shanghai and nearby provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu with rainstorms and gales.