Chinese President Xi Jinping stated on Wednesday that the country is facing "extremely dangerous" flooding after authorities in Zhengzhou reported the deaths of 12 individuals due to floods inundating the subway system in the large city located in central China. Xi mentioned that "some reservoir dams have burst... causing serious injuries, loss of life, and property damage. Controlling the floods is in a very dangerous situation." He added that the events have reached a "critical phase."
The warning from the Chinese president came after the local authorities announced the casualties due to floods submerging the subway in Zhengzhou, while horrifying images circulated on social media showing passengers trapped in a train carriage with water up to their necks. Zhengzhou municipal officials posted on the social media platform Weibo that the city, home to 10 million residents, "has experienced a series of rare and heavy rainstorms, leading to water accumulation in the Zhengzhou Metro," noting that the disaster resulted in 12 deaths and five other injuries.
Photos published on social media showed passengers in the Zhengzhou subway with water reaching their shoulders, while some stood on the seats. In another video clip, rescuers were seen evacuating passengers in darkness. Agence France-Presse was unable to verify the authenticity of these images shared by local media. Authorities had issued the highest level of weather-related alert in Henan province and its capital Zhengzhou, which has been swept by record floods.
Seasonal floods are common in China, but scientists say climate change is causing an increase in extreme weather events. Social media in China was flooded with images from Zhengzhou showing pedestrians being rescued from floods. A Chinese military source warned on Tuesday of the risk of a dam collapse after "unprecedented" heavy rainfall in central China. The regional command of the People's Liberation Army reported a 20-meter crack appeared in a dam in Luoyang, a city with approximately 7 million residents in Henan province, warning that "the dam could collapse at any moment."
The military announced it has dispatched troops for emergency operations, including diversion of floodwaters. State broadcaster CCTV aired footage of Zhengzhou streets submerged in rushing muddy water, while several residents pushed their vehicles through the flooded roads. Annual floods during the rainy season in China cause chaos, wash away roads, crops, and homes. However, the threat has intensified over decades, partly due to extensive dam and levee construction that has severed links between rivers and adjacent lakes and disrupted floodplains.
The Zhengzhou meteorological agency reported the highest daily rainfall since records began 60 years ago. Every summer, China faces flooding due to the monsoon rains. Last year, unprecedented floods in the southwest of the country destroyed roads and led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
