Extreme flooding in China’s Henan province has killed 33 and brought trains to a standstill for more than 30 hours.
“It was all water – no matter where you looked, it was only water,” said Ms Xu, from Zhengzhou, the capital city of the province in central China, which received the worst torrential rainfall on record. She asked to be identified only by her first name.
The downpour began on July 17 and reached its peak three days later. State media said the flooding was “unseen in 1,000 years,” and weather authorities issued a series of highest-level extreme weather alerts.
A whole year’s worth of rain poured upon the densely populated city that is home to more than 12 million people and a strategic location for Chinese agriculture.
Surrounding areas are also experiencing an unprecedented level of rainfall. Reservoirs in Xinxiang, a city bordering Zhengzhou, have reached maximum capacity. Authorities have ordered that water be discharged from all four reservoirs in the city, after evacuating the public from nearby villages.
Xu said escaping the torrents in the streets felt almost like “experiencing death”.
On her journey home from work on Tuesday, Xu encountered waist-high water.
“The water was flushing everything away, so about 10 of us had to hold our hands together to cross a street so we wouldn’t slip and be washed away,” Xu said. “It was so scary and I’m thankful that I’m alive.”
Posts on social media revealed horrendous scenes elsewhere in Zhengzhou including people being washed downstream as the fast-moving floods swept across the city and abandoned cars floated as owners evacuated to higher ground for security.
On Weibo and WeChat, two of the most popular social media platforms in China, pleas for help were widely shared, and volunteers compiled lists of resources for those at risk in case of emergency.
A video purporting to show passengers trapped in an underground train carriage rapidly filling with water sparked concern online.
A Weibo post written by a survivor from the disaster in the subway and confirmed by local news outlets said passengers had tried to escape the carriage and exit the tunnel from the platform. The flood water, however, soon rushed into the tunnel from both ends and they had to retreat to the carriage.
“After we got back into the train, we could see water from both sides rising fast, and soon the water started to fill in the carriage,” the survivor wrote.
“Gradually, the water level reached my neck and that was when all of us started to feel the oxygen was running out.
“With people starting to feel weak, and some even beginning to vomit, we all thought we were going to die there.”
Officials said 12 people died in the subway system as rescue teams struggled to evacuate all passengers. Eight remain missing around the city.
The heavy rain has also resulted in major transportation disruption, in part due to Zhengzhou’s central location in China’s vast railway system.
Some distance away from Zhengzhou, as railways sustained severe damage due to the collapsed roads, more than 30 trains were stuck. Some passengers said food supplies were running low.
“There is now only hot water – no more food left on the train,” said one passenger on a train that has been stationary for almost 40 hours about 20 kilometres north of Zhengzhou.
Rainfall has begun to ease off and the city’s drainage system is back in operation. Some major thoroughfares in the city have been slowly cleared of water and rescue teams are continuing their operations.
But within the city, a patchy electricity supply and a daunting task of rebuilding the flood-battered town has left many people planning to leave home.
Outside of the city, smaller towns are still battling days of heavy rain which is expected to last until the end of the weekend.
According to official statistics, authorities have evacuated or relocated more than 600,000 people in Henan province, and the direct economic loss has been estimated at over 1.2 billion yuan.
Floods in summer are fairly frequent in China.
Last year southern China suffered one of its worst flooding seasons in decades as heavy rain affected a number of provinces along the Yangtze River. In recent months, rainfall in the south-western Sichuan province has also caused extensive damage.
In the days leading up to July 17, there were at least five rounds of “red” extreme weather alerts issued by local weather authorities. However, those alerts did not yield any substantive immediate response from the local government or local communities.
In interviews with state media, experts said a combination of typhoons approaching China’s coast and the mountain ranges sitting in the north of Henan province blocking the clouds from escaping were to blame for the flooding.
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041mm%2C%20352%20x%20430%3B%2045mm%2C%20396%20x%20484%3B%20Retina%20LTPO%20OLED%2C%20up%20to%201000%20nits%2C%20always-on%3B%20Ion-X%20glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20S8%2C%20W3%20wireless%2C%20U1%20ultra-wideband%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20watchOS%209%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20metrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203rd-gen%20heart%20rate%20sensor%2C%20temperature%20sensing%2C%20ECG%2C%20blood%20oxygen%2C%20workouts%2C%20fall%2Fcrash%20detection%3B%20emergency%20SOS%2C%20international%20emergency%20calling%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GPS%2FGPS%20%2B%20cellular%3B%20Wi-Fi%2C%20LTE%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP6X%2C%20water%20resistant%20up%20to%2050m%2C%20dust%20resistant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20308mAh%20Li-ion%2C%20up%20to%2018h%2C%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eSIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinishes%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aluminium%20%E2%80%93%20midnight%2C%20Product%20Red%2C%20silver%2C%20starlight%3B%20stainless%20steel%20%E2%80%93%20gold%2C%20graphite%2C%20silver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Watch%20Series%208%2C%20magnetic-to-USB-C%20charging%20cable%2C%20band%2Floop%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starts%20at%20Dh1%2C599%20(41mm)%20%2F%20Dh1%2C999%20(45mm)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
