News analysis

China's risk-averse political culture proves deadly in Henan floods

Heavy rains that began on July 17 have affected about 13 million people province-wide. PHOTO: AFP
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BEIJING - The meteorological authorities in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou issued close to 10 red alerts in mid-July, anticipating torrential rain over the following days.

The provincial weather bureau of landlocked Henan even sent about 120 million text messages to mobile phone users warning them of the storms.

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