The death toll from floods in central China’s Henan province rose to 71 on Tuesday as a tribute at a subway where 14 people died was sealed off in a sign of sensitivity to public criticism of the government’s handling of the disaster.
Torrential downpours dumped a year’s rain in just three days last week on the hardest-hit city of Zhengzhou, flooding subway cars and trapping more than 500 commuters during rush hour last Tuesday.
Images of passengers inundated by shoulder-height water went viral on Chinese social media.
The city government announced on Tuesday the names of those who perished in the subway, a rare attempt at transparency after people started leaving flowers at the entrance to the station.
“Extreme rains caused severe water logging in parts of subway line 5, and the retaining walls that protected the subway lines crumbled,” the government statement said.
Subway guards eventually blocked access to the floral tribute, but a video published by state-run West China…