Dhe authorities in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou deliberately concealed the death toll during the flood disaster last July. This is the result of an investigation report by the State Council, which was published in Beijing over the weekend.
According to this, 380 people were killed in one day in the capital of Henan province as a result of heavy rain. In the case of 139 victims, information was deliberately withheld or published late, the report says.
The investigative commission accused the city party committee and the local government of serious mistakes in disaster management. In particular, the fatalities in a flooded subway and in a road tunnel could have been avoided, the investigators write. Despite multiple warnings from meteorologists, the population was not asked to stay at home as required.
Read F+ now for 30 days for free and get access to all articles on FAZ.NET.
On July 20, more than 200 millimeters of precipitation per square meter was measured in Zhengzhou within just one hour, more than ever before in China. The operating company of the subway did not stop operations in time, so that more than 400 passengers were trapped by the water masses; 14 people died.
Investigators say the subway was built with unauthorized design changes that affected drainage. Zhengzhou is one of the so-called sponge cities in China, which should be particularly well protected against flooding thanks to the development of a drainage system.
Several officials arrested
The investigators complain that more than half of the money provided by the central government for this purpose was invested in ineffective projects.
According to the Xinhua news agency, several officials were arrested, including the head of the civil protection department and the deputy general manager of the subway operator. Zhengzhou Party leader Xu Liyi was removed from his post and demoted. Another 89 state officials have been fined by the party’s disciplinary commission, Xinhua reported.
After the disaster, foreign and Chinese media had already pointed out some of the omissions mentioned. Foreign media were accused of anti-Chinese reporting, and local media were censored.
.
#Chinese #province #Henan #Arrests #heavy #rain #disaster
