Floods sweep Chinese subway trapping commuters up to their necks in water

Panicked commuters in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou sent terrified messages pleading for help on Tuesday as flooding swept through subway cars, trapping them up to their necks in murky waters.

“The water outside is already up to here,” radio host Ding Xiaopei said in a quavering voice, pointing to chest-high water outside her subway window in a widely shared smartphone video clip. “My smartphone is running out of batteries. I don’t know if this is my last WeChat post.”

At least 25 people have been killed by the extreme weather that brought widespread destruction to the city, a disaster President Xi Jinping said Wednesday caused “significant loss of life and damage to property.”

Footage from the chaos underground circulated widely on messaging app WeChat, a key method of communication in the country. Videos showed commuters clutching to poles and handrails as they fought to keep their heads above water.

Others stood on chairs and platforms as they anxiously awaited rescue from police officers and firefighters.

Other footage showed vehicles being swept down the street and disappearing as emergency crews worked around-the-clock to free those stuck underground.

“Most of those passengers were rescued by teams apparently cutting through the roofs of those carriages. There has also been quite shocking imagery of dead bodies on the platforms of train stations,” BBC News’s China correspondent Stephen McDonell said.

On Wednesday, Chinese state media shared footage of rescue teams working to help those trapped by the floods.

On some streets, there were scenes of dramatic rescues. On others, locals formed human chains in a bid to stay connected amid powerful torrents.

The flooding comes less than a week after Europe was battered by torrential rains that tore through western Germany, killing at least 165 people and wiping out entire villages. In the town of Verviers in nearby Belgium, more than 30 people were killed and at least 70 are still missing, according to local media.

Officials estimate the recovery could take years and cost millions of euros in repairs.

Flash floods also brought torrential rains to Britain, sparking severe weather warnings. In parts of London, a month’s worth of rain fell in just one day.

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