Disasters & Accidents

Thousands evacuated in China after another river overflows

Beijing, Jul 23 (EFE).- The banks of the Weihe River, in the central Chinese province of Henan, burst due to heavy rainfall in the region in recent days and led to the evacuation of several thousand people, whose municipalities remain flooded.

The evacuations took place on early Friday and emergency teams are trying to shore up the river’s banks with stones and gravel to contain the floods in the area, located near the city of Hebi, state-run media Global Times reported.

The municipality, located in a mountainous area, received record rainfall in 24 hours.

Floods have left at least 33 people dead and eight missing in the Henan province since Tuesday.

Hebi recorded 675.5 millimeters (26.5 inches) of rainfall between Wednesday and Thursday, and in some districts, the water reached the first floor of some buildings, according to local media reports.

In the nearby Muye district, 9,000 people were evacuated while rescue teams are working to evacuate another 19,000.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring Niuchang village, located along the banks of the Yellow River, a floating modular bridge was assembled at dawn to allow the evacuation of 1,000 households, according to images of state broadcaster CGTN.

Life in Henan province’s capital, Zhengzhou, which has been severely affected by torrential rains since Tuesday, continues to return to normal with the resumption of more flights, Global Times reported.

Floods have affected more than 3 million residents of Henan and caused economic losses estimated at 1.22 billion yuan (about $188 million). EFE

jt/pd/tw

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