As devastating floods ravage central China, passengers are stuck inside a submerged subway. As record-breaking rains ravaged areas of Henan province on Tuesday, terrified metro commuters were left clutching on ceiling handles inside flooded carriages, stuck up to their necks in rising water.
According to the meteorological observatory, more than 20 cm (7.8in) of rain poured in one hour in Zhengzhou, the province capital, on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people.
It's unclear how many people were trapped on the subway, and rescue attempts in Zhengzhou, a metropolis of 12.6 million people on the Yellow River's banks, are still underway.
According to state-run media, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying sections of the city, with hundreds of emergency workers dispatched to aid in the endeavor.
According to provincial authorities, all of the remains were found from the city's underground system.
On Wednesday morning, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the floods, calling the situation "extremely grave" and urging officials to "prioritize the safety of people's lives and properties," according to state news agency Xinhua.
Passengers in Zhengzhou are stuck inside a flooded metro vehicle, pressed tightly together as the water rises, according to footage carried by Xinhua and extensively circulated online. Dark floodwater rushes through the window, rushing down the subway rails.
According to pictures extensively shared on social media and remarks from the Henan fire department, several of people trapped made appeals for aid on social media.
"The water level inside the wagon has risen to breast height! I'm already unable to communicate; please assist me! "Xiaopei, a lady who went by the name of Xiaopei, penned one of the letters.
"If no help comes in 20 minutes, numerous hundreds of us would lose our lives in the Zhengzhou metro," she wrote minutes later.
Xiaopei was rescued, according to the fire service.
According to provincial officials, the city's subway system, which has seven lines and 153 stations, has halted all operations as a result of the incident.
Residents on the street, with water up to their hips, try urgently to free individuals trapped in an underground mall using ropes in other footage. Motorists on a road form a human chain to avoid being washed away by the river as they battle through rushing water, according to a video posted by the state-run daily People's Daily.
The torrential rains also knocked off power across the city. On Tuesday, a hospital with over 10,000 patients was completely shut down, with social media images showing the first floor flooded in water.
The torrential rains also knocked off power across the city. On Tuesday, a hospital with over 10,000 patients was completely shut down, with social media images showing the first floor flooded in water.
The blackout at the hospital was later confirmed by the state-run People's Daily, which stated over 600 critically ill patients needed to be relocated. According to the publication, electricity had been restored to the ICU rooms by Wednesday morning.
Other cities in the area were also affected. At least four individuals have been confirmed killed in Gongyi, and more than 20,000 people have been evacuated, according to official media.
According to CGTN, more than 6,000 firemen and almost 2,000 police and military personnel have been dispatched for search and rescue operations across disaster-stricken areas. Soldiers and rescue workers can be seen on the ground rescuing individuals on rafts and removing downed power wires.
Despite the fact that the rains have subsided, dozens of dams and reservoirs have surpassed alert levels, difficulties are certain to remain.
The Guojiazui dam in Zhengzhou has been the subject of conflicting reports, with official media CGTN initially reporting that it had fallen around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, then subsequently appearing to retract its statement. According to a screenshot provided by the state-run China Daily, a statement from the Ministry of Emergency Management also stated that the dam had burst.That line has now been deleted as well.
"A major portion of the downstream slope of the dam has cracked, although the dam itself has not collapsed," Xinhua reported on Wednesday afternoon.
On Tuesday night, Chinese military soldiers raced to destroy a dam and redirect floodwaters in Luoyang, west of Zhengzhou, at the request of county officials. Heavy rains created a 20-meter (65-foot) hole in the dam, which officials said "may collapse at any time."According to a statement from the People's Liberation Army's Central Theater Command.
Though flooding in areas of China occurs every year during the summer, recent record-breaking rains have concerned scientists and authorities, raising concerns about the country's ability to deal with more intense and unpredictable weather.
Greenpeace warned last week that severe heat and rains are posing a serious threat to major metropolitan centers such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou-Shenzhen, and that the danger is rising rapidly for urbanizing towns on the periphery.
According to the research, Beijing has had the fastest increase in average temperature, with a 0.32 degree Celsius increase every ten years. Since 1961, Guanzhou-Shenzhen has seen 98 heat waves, the bulk of which have occurred in the last two decades.
Rainfall, on the other hand, is far more variable, ranging from highs to lows. According to the research, if global greenhouse emissions peak around 2040, severe rainfall in some regions of China, such as Shanghai, would increase by more than 25%, while dryness will grow in other places, such as northern Guangzhou-Shenzhen.
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