UPDATE 2 - Severe flooding in central China kills 25

REVISES DEATH TOLL, HEADLINE, EDITS DETAILS

By Busra Selvi Ogutcen and Idris Sulun

KUALA LUMPUR/ANKARA (AA) - Twenty-five people were killed and seven others were missing after severe flooding in China’s central Henan province that was caused by torrential rains, media reports said Wednesday.

Search and rescue teams have found the bodies of 25 victims in flood-affected areas of Henan’s capital, Zhengzhou, while an estimated 200,000 people have been displaced, according to the South China Morning Post.

More than 1.2 million people were affected by the flood and over 164,000 people have been placed in safe areas.

In a statement, the Zhengzhou government said the situation is still far from being under control and the emergency level has been raised to its highest point.

Torrential rains have battered Henan province since the weekend, causing rivers to burst their banks and flooding streets in several cities in the region.

According to the Zhengzhou Meteorology Bureau, 617 millimeters (over 24 inches) of rain has been recorded in the region, the highest in 60 years.

China’s economy has incurred damages worth an estimated $11.3 million due to the heavy rains and floods, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk and Gozde Bayar in Ankara