Beijing-Sana
Floods caused by heavy rains in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, have killed 12 people and injured five others.
The Xinhua news agency quoted local authorities as saying that the average rainfall in Zhengzhou from Sunday evening until midnight yesterday was 449 mm, causing 12 deaths, while about 200,000 others were transferred to safe locations.
Meteorological bureaus in Henan Province and Zhengzhou City raised the emergency response to meteorological disasters to the first level, while more than 160 trains suspended services at Zhengzhoudong Railway Station, stranding a large number of passengers.
Heavy rain is expected to continue in Henan Province until this evening, according to the weather forecast.
For its part, the Henan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said yesterday that the heavy rain affected more than 144,660 people, and a total of 16 large and medium reservoirs witnessed a rise in water levels to exceed the warning level after heavy rains fell on most parts of the province on Monday and Tuesday.
The floods destroyed 9,222 hectares of crops, causing direct economic losses of 73 million yuan (about 11.3 million US dollars).
China has a four-level emergency response system for flood control, with the first level being the most dangerous.
