Heaviest rains in 1,000 years kill at least 25 people in China
At least 25 people have died in China's flood-stricken central province of Henan, a dozen of them in a subway line in its capital that was drenched by what weather officials called the heaviest rains for 1,000 years. Here are a few images
Cities come to a halt
The rain halted bus services in the city of 12 million people about 650 km (400 miles) southwest of Beijing. At least 25 people have died in the torrential rains that have lashed the province since last weekend, with seven missing, officials told a news conference on Wednesday.
(Photograph:Reuters)
More rain on the way
More rain is forecast across Henan for the next three days, and the People's Liberation Army has sent more than 5,700 soldiers and personnel to help with search and rescue. From Saturday to Tuesday, 617.1 mm (24.3 inches) of rain fell in Zhengzhou, almost the equivalent of its annual average of 640.8 mm (25.2 inches).
(Photograph:Reuters)
'Once in a thousand years'
The three days of rain matched a level seen only "once in a thousand years", meteorologists said. Like recent heatwaves in the United States and Canada and extreme flooding seen in western Europe, the rainfall in China was almost certainly linked to global warming, scientists told Reuters.
"Such extreme weather events will likely become more frequent in the future," said Johnny Chan, a professor of atmospheric science at City University of Hong Kong.
"What is needed is for governments to develop strategies to adapt to such changes," he added, referring to authorities at city, province and national levels.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Public services affected
Many train services have been suspended across Henan, a major logistics hub with a population of about 100 million. Highways have also been closed and flights delayed or cancelled.
By Wednesday, media said food and water supplies had run out for hundreds of passengers stranded on a train that had stopped just beyond the city limits of Zhengzhou two days earlier.
Roads were severely flooded in a dozen cities of the province.
"Flood prevention efforts have become very difficult," President Xi Jinping said in a statement broadcast by state television.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Dams and reservoirs on alert
Dozens of reservoirs and dams breached danger levels.
Local authorities said the rainfall had caused a 20-metre breach in the Yihetan dam in the city of Luoyang west of Zhengzhou, and that the dam "could collapse at any time".
In Zhengzhou itself, where about 100,000 people have been evacuated, the Guojiazui reservoir had been breached but there was no dam failure yet.
(Photograph:Reuters)