by Nicole Hao at The Epoch Times
A central Chinese city has been devastated by floods amid record rain.
In Zhengzhou city, streets have turned into rivers, underground tunnels have become submerged, and floodwaters have crept to the second floor of buildings in some areas. Widespread power outages have interrupted hospital surgeries and left some patients without life support.
The official death toll as of July 20 was 25, a dozen of them from a subway that flooded, with seven missing, regime officials announced on July 21. But residents of the city of 12 million told The Epoch Times they believe the number to be far higher.
A resident surnamed Xie told The Epoch Times that she witnessed people being swept away by floodwaters on the afternoon of July 20.
“Two women were washed away by the flood when they tried to cross the street without help,” Xie said on July 21. “We were standing next to the street, but couldn’t do anything to help.”
Later, she was able to help another two women who were trapped in the waters, latching onto a traffic light pole to avoid being swept away.
“Two men organized us to stand hand-in-hand [to reach the women] and we dragged these two women back,” Xie said.
On July 20, more than 500 people were trapped inside a metro after a subway tunnel flooded, according to a state media outlet. Twelve died inside the metro, with five others hospitalized due to injuries, it stated. Videos circulating on social media show passengers in chest-deep water in the dark.
Qiji said she witnessed other passengers start to vomit, shake, and breathe heavily. She also passed out for a period due to the lack of oxygen, she wrote. Qiji was rescued after two hours trapped in the car.
Many train services were suspended across the province of Henan, a logistics hub with a population of about 100 million. Highways have also been closed and flights delayed or canceled.
According to provincial authorities, 89 counties have been affected by flooding and 1.24 million people have been displaced…
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