The flooding hit smaller cities and villages as well, with rivers swelling beyond warning levels and numerous reservoirs overflowing, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, according to state-run media.

The team will review if there was “dereliction of duty,” and will “hold people accountable in accordance with laws and regulations,” said the statement. In a statement on Monday, China’s State Council said it was establishing a team to “investigate and evaluate” the flooding and deaths. Rescue teams spent days pumping out floodwater from the tunnel in downtown Zhengzhou.Ī flooded subway station in Zhengzhou, China, on July 21. More than 500 passengers were evacuated from the subway line, authorities said several days after the initial flooding.Īnother six deaths were from a road tunnel that had been fully inundated, trapping passengers in their cars inside.

The drowning deaths include 14 who died in a flooded subway line, where many passengers were stranded in subway cars up to their necks in floodwater, as fast-moving currents ripped through the network of underground tunnels.ĭramatic videos showing people clinging to ceiling handles to keep their heads above water shocked the nation and made headlines around the world. Most were killed from floods and landslides, while several dozen were killed from house collapses, and another 39 drowned in underground spaces including basements and garages. Of the total deaths, 292 were from Zhengzhou, Wu said. Rescue workers paddle through a flooded street in Zhengzhou, China, on July 23.

China flood 2016