Death toll jumps to 99 in flooding in central China

The death toll has risen to 99 from floods that hit a province in central China last week

BEIJING -- The death toll has jumped to 99 from floods that hit a province in central China last week, authorities said Thursday. An official in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, announced 26 more deaths in two outlying areas, state media reported. Of them, 18 were to the southwest in Xinmi city, and eight to the west in Xingyang city. Record rainfall in Zhengzhou nine days ago inundated the city’s subway system, killing 14 people, and turned streets into rushing rivers, washing away vehicles. The storms then moved north, flooding other parts of the province including the hard-hit city of Xinxiang.