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| Residents wade through floodwaters on a flooded road amid heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China, July 20. Reuters-Yonhap |
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| This July 20 handout photo (courtesy of Weibo user merakiZz-) shows a submerged subway car following heavy rains in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. AFP-Yonhap |
The already drenched city of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, was hit by 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain from 4 to 5 p.m., the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Henan weather agency.
The torrent of rain turned streets into rapidly flowing rivers and inundated subways stations and cars. Videos posted online showed entire neighborhoods covered in waist-deep water and vehicles floating in the muddy mire.
To the north of Zhengzhou, the famed Shaolin Temple known for its Buddhist monks' mastery of martial arts was badly hit. Henan province is home to many cultural sites and a major base for industry and agriculture.
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| Residents wade through floodwaters on a flooded road amid heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China, July 20. Reuters-Yonhap |
Xinhua said 12 people had died and 100,000 people had been moved to safer places.
Stranded people were spending the night in their workplaces or checked into hotels.
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| In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, vehicles pass through floodwaters in Zhengzhou in central China's Henan Province, July 20. AP-Yonhap |
Wang Guirong, a 56-year-old restaurant manager, said she planned to sleep on the couch in her restaurant after being told there was no power in her neighborhood. The State Grid Zhengzhou Power Supply Co. said a downtown substation was forced to shut down because of the rain.
''I have lived in Zhengzhou all my life and have never seen such a heavy rainstorm as today,'' Wang said.
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. (AP)
