By Chantal Da Silva, Shamar Walters, Dawn Liu and Reuters
Subway passengers in China’s central Henan province were left trapped in carriages flooded with water on Tuesday after heavy rains caused rivers to burst their banks.
In disturbing footage published on social media, subway passengers in Zhengzhou, Henan’s capital could be seen standing in a pool of muddied water, waiting for rescue.
In a video posted on Weibo, the Henan Fire Department said it was working to rescue passengers from the train line.
Meanwhile, city streets were transformed into rivers, with vehicles submerged in torrential waters.
According to China’s Xinhua News Agency, more than 144,660 residents have been affected by the torrential rains and subsequent flooding, with more than 10,000 people forced to flee to safe ground.
In a statement published on the Zhengzhou local government’s website, the city warned that the “flood control situation is grim,” with the risk of disaster “extremely high.”
In a separate statement published on the government’s official WeChat account, officials warned residents to stay home or in a safe place and to remain alert for updates.
So far, no deaths have been reported in connection with the floods, according to Reuters.
A disaster relief emergency dispatch meeting was held on Tuesday, the city said, with Xu Liyi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, leading the talks.
Source: NBC News
