LOC22:58
19:58 GMT
BEIJING, July 21 (KUNA) -- Victims of devastating floods caused by heavy rain in central China have risen to 25 while many others still unaccounted for, Chinese authorities said in an update Wednesday.
Control and rescue center at Henan province, which was hit by floods, said local authorities in the Zhengzhou, provincial capital, evacuated around 200,000 to safer places after unprecedented floods caused mudslides.
It said rivers' waters flooded in Zhengzhou and other cities in Henan.
Rescue teams were operating in Zhengzhou, a city of around 10 million people and 700 kilometers southwest of Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged competent authorities to make sure people and their properties were safe.
He described as "very dangerous" the situation in Henan, and it was crucially important to provide shelters for people who were forced to leave their homes.
Zhengzhou and close cities have been experiencing two days of heavy rain which caused floods and mudslides. Floods halted traffic, caused power outage and damaged houses.
The city saw 457.5 millimeters (mm) of rain in the last 24 hours. (pickup previous)
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