BEIJING, July 22. / TASS /. Some 33 people have been killed as a result of floods in China's central Henan province, over 256,000 citizens have been relocated to safe areas, while more than 3 mln people still remain in the disaster zone, local authorities stated on Thursday.
Earlier, as many as 25 victims have been reported in the province’s administrative center Zhengzhou as well as four victims of the disaster in Gongyi city.
"Since July 16, 2021, more than three mln residents have been in the disaster zone due to floods, some 33 people have died, whereas eight citizens have gone missing, <...> a total of 256,000 people have been moved to safe areas," the statement reads.
China’s local authorities noted that over 215,000 hectares of farmland were damaged, and property losses surpassed 12.2 bln yuan (about $ 1.8 bln).
The heavy rains that continued for several days resulted in floods in the Henan province. Due to a break in the dam on one of Zhengzhou’s reservoirs, the local authorities introduced the first level of emergency, while China’s Emergencies Ministry raised the national threat level from the third to the second.