Xi stresses prioritizing people's safety

Among the dead, at least 12 were passengers trapped in the Zhengzhou Metro system's Subway Line 5 on Tuesday.

Tao Yi, a 30-year-old woman who was traveling on Line 5, said it took her several hours to get out of one of the flooded stations.

She said subway workers told her that the water rose to people's chests in some of the worst affected subway cars.

"I was still frightened when I arrived home at night," she said. "But people are very warmhearted, and we offered help to each other."

The National Meteorological Center said Zhengzhou received 201.9 millimeters of rain between 4 pm and 5 pm on Tuesday, breaking the record for hourly precipitation in the country's land areas.

The torrential rains are forecast to continue wreaking havoc in the coming three days in the northern parts of Henan and southern areas of Hebei province. Downpours will also hit some areas in another five provincial regions, including Shanxi and Yunnan, according to the center.

The continuous rains in northern Henan will swell five major rivers and cause flooding of some medium-sized and small rivers in the area, the Ministry of Water Resources warned on Wednesday.

The ministry upgraded its emergency response for flooding to Grade 3, the third-highest in a four level system.