China’s State Council will launch a probe after the death toll from the flooding in Henan province surged from 99 to 302, according to official media reports.
The Cabinet decided to carry out a "comprehensive and objective assessment” of Henan’s disaster response, which will be led by the Ministry of Emergency Management, in a bid to improve disaster prevention and relief, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The probe will also "hold anyone responsible for dereliction of duty,” according to the report.
The majority of deaths occurred in the provincial capital Zhengzhou, where 292 people were killed after torrential waters led to landslides, buildings collapsing and the flooding of underground spaces, the official Henan Daily reported. Fifty people are missing across the province, including 47 in Zhengzhou. According to the official tally, 14 people drowned in submerged subway cars, while another six were killed in a swamped tunnel.