12 Dead, 100,000 Evacuated as Subway Station Floods
Concerns Over Repetition of Last Year's China Flood Nightmare
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] A deluge has struck Henan Province in central China, forcing 100,000 people to evacuate urgently. Last year, heavy rains also caused floods in the central and southern regions of China, resulting in enormous economic damage.
Chinese media including Xinhua News Agency reported on the 21st that 12 people died and 100,000 residents evacuated due to the heaviest rainfall in 60 years in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province.
On the previous day, a torrential rain of 201.9 mm per hour poured down in Zhengzhou, causing subway stations to be flooded. As a result, about 500 people were trapped in the subway stations, and 12 people died. Rainfall exceeding 200 mm per hour was recorded for the first time in 46 years since 1975 (198.5 mm).
Chinese media reported that the total rainfall from 8 p.m. on the 24th to 8 p.m. on the 27th reached 617.1 mm, calling it the heaviest rainfall in 60 years. The average annual rainfall in Zhengzhou is known to be 640.8 mm.
Chinese media Pengpai reported that the water level of a reservoir in Zhengzhou rapidly rose and overflowed around 1:30 a.m. on the 21st, worsening the damage. It added that residents downstream of the reservoir evacuated in advance, reducing casualties.
The previous day, the Chinese People's Liberation Army warned that a 20-meter-long crack had opened in the Yihutan Dam in Luoyang City, Henan Province, putting it at risk of collapse.
Chinese media reported that 9,222 hectares of farmland were flooded due to the heavy rain, estimating the damage at 73 million yuan (approximately 13 billion Korean won).
Meanwhile, the China Meteorological Administration forecasted that heavy rain could continue for the next 24 hours in parts of central, western, and northern regions.
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