In the late night of June 30th to the early morning of July 1st, some areas in Henan Province were hit by heavy rainfall, causing flash floods that resulted in the damage of some facilities and trapping of residents. According to officials, there have been 2 confirmed deaths and 6 people missing. On July 1st morning, Laojieling Scenic Area and Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area in Song County announced their closure.
Multiple videos circulating online show floodwater pouring down roads, with a white vehicle with its taillights on stuck on the roadside in the darkness, lightning flashing in the sky, and rain falling. When daylight comes, debris can be seen piled on bridges, roads washed out by floodwaters, damaged vehicles, and some vehicles submerged in water.
Netizens reported that due to the impact of the flash floods, roads in Taiping Town, Xixia County were washed out, resulting in uplifted or sunken cement road surfaces, trees along the riverbanks destroyed, vehicles washed into the river, and vehicles damaged by being squeezed.
A tourist named Guo Yi at Laojieling Scenic Area in Xixia County told “Zhengzai News” that it started raining around 7 p.m. on June 30th, and the rainfall intensified around 9 p.m. Soon, the homestay lost power, and there were intermittent phone signals. By around 10 p.m., the roads nearby the homestay were flooded, with some vehicles trapped, and she heard children’s voices inside a car. Guo and her friend used a rope to secure the vehicle and rescue the people inside, but soon the water grew higher and the car was washed away.
At 7 a.m. on July 1st, when Guo Yi and her friend tried to evacuate downhill, they found that the main road had been washed out by rainwater, rendering vehicles and pedestrians unable to pass. She mentioned that at the exit of Laojieling Scenic Area, there were hundreds of tourists waiting for rescue.
A homestay operator near Laojieling Scenic Area told “Extreme Vision News” that there are two roads leading up and down from the scenic spot, and the downhill road had been washed out. As their homestay is located on the uphill route, it was not severely affected. The road in front of the scenic spot has been destroyed; mudslides have swept away vehicles, leading to the closure of the area.
In the early morning of July 1st, Laojieling Scenic Area’s official WeChat account announced the closure of the park due to the severe rainfall causing damage to some facilities. The scenic area will remain closed until further notice from July 1st.
Xinhua News Agency reported that according to the Emergency Command of Xixia County, Nanyang City, Henan Province, two trapped individuals have been rescued so far, with 2 confirmed deaths and 6 people missing.
Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s tendency to hide information, the true extent of casualties and damages remains unknown to the outside world.
Adjacent to Laojieling, Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area also faced danger. A netizen from Henan who visited the area shared their experience of encountering a landslide at Baiyun Mountain.
The netizen described how on the night of June 30th, they and two friends drove to Song County, with light rain throughout the journey. At the foot of the mountain, the rain intensified. Someone with an umbrella rushed out from the roadside to advise them to seek shelter, but despite the advice, they continued up the mountain road. In less than a kilometer, the water on the uphill road gushed down like a small river. Feeling unsafe to proceed, they exited the vehicle and sought shelter in a roadside inn. After waiting in the inn lobby for over three hours with no respite in the rain, they attempted to book a room late at night, only to find all rooms occupied. The power and network were cut off around midnight, leaving them in darkness and cold.
Deciding to continue up the mountain, they moved another 300 meters but encountered deep water on the road, which deterred further progress. Spotting two individuals inspecting the road conditions with flashlights, they learned about an inn nearby and decided to stay there. They woke up before 5 a.m. the next day and witnessed a landslide near the inn.
In the early hours of July 1st, Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area in Song County, Luoyang, Henan, announced its closure due to the impact of heavy rainfall. The reopening date will be announced based on future weather conditions.
Staff at Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area informed Xiangxiang Morning News that due to heavy rainfall and mudslides, the roads in the scenic area were blocked, preventing tourist vehicles from descending. However, the staff did not provide specific numbers of stranded tourists.
The Henan Provincial Meteorological Observatory had previously forecasted that from 6 a.m. on June 30th to 6 a.m. on July 1st, there would be showers and thunderstorms in the northern, central, and western parts of the province, with regions including Nanyang experiencing heavy rain or torrential rain. Precipitation figures included 226.9 millimeters in Baiyun Mountain of Song County, 225.3 millimeters in Laojieling of Xixia County, and 189.6 millimeters in Taiping of Xixia County; the maximum hourly precipitation recorded was 99.8 millimeters in Taiping of Xixia County.