Guernsey Press

Chinese military blasts dam to divert deadly floodwaters

At least 25 people have been killed in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province.

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China’s military has blasted a dam to release floodwaters threatening one of its most heavily populated provinces.

The operation in the city of Luoyang came after at least 25 people died in severe flooding in the Henan provincial capital of Zhengzhou, where residents were trapped in the subway system and left stranded at schools, apartments and offices.

Transport and working life have been disrupted throughout the province, with torrents of rain turning streets into rapidly flowing rivers, washing away cars and rising into people’s homes.

China Flooding
People move through flood water after a heavy downpour in Zhengzhou city (Chinatopix Via AP)

On Wednesday, state media showed waters at waist height, with rain still coming down.

To the north of Zhengzhou, the famed Shaolin Temple, known for its Buddhist monks’ mastery of martial arts, was also badly hit.

China experiences regular flooding during the summer, but the growth of cities and conversion of farmland into subdivisions has raised the impact of such events.

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