The critical part of the annual flood season in China, which usually runs from late July to early August, is expected to end on Monday, but severe flood prevention challenges persist as the country remains in a peak flood season, according to the country's Ministry of Water Resources.
Since the start of the flood season, there have been 25 significant flood occurrences on the country's major rivers, the highest number recorded since data collection began in 1998.
In July, particularly during the critical part of the annual flood season, intense rainfall and frequent flooding pounded the country.
The cumulative national precipitation has reached 183 millimeters, 10 percent above the annual average.
Thirty rivers have seen floods surpassing historical records, with the number of rivers seeing the water level on them exceeding the warning line going up by 120 percent compared to the same period of previous years, and those seeing their water level surpassing safety thresholds nearly 60 percent higher.
Since July, 1,182 large and medium-sized reservoirs in the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, the Pearl River, the Songhua and Liao River, and the Taihu Lake basins have been actively managed to reduce flood peaks and alleviate pressure on downstream areas.
Currently, the country remains in a peak flood season and faces a challenging flood prevention situation. Floodwaters on the Wusuli River in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is still in excess of the safety line, heavy rainfall in certain areas still poses risks of secondary disaster, and potential future typhoons could further impact the region.
The Ministry of Water Resources has urged strict implementation of flood prevention measures to manage and mitigate risks before they escalate, focusing on safeguarding lives, protecting property and ensuring social stability.
Critical part of annual flood season in China expected to end Monday amid severe flood prevention challenges
A witness who saw a horrifying helicopter crash in New York City on Thursday which killed all six people on board has shared her harrowing experience of watching the incident unfold.
The helicopter crashed into the Hudson River around Pier 40 in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon. Among the victims who lost their lives were one pilot along with a family of two adults and three children. Four people were announced dead at the scene while another two didn't survive after being taken to hospital.
It has been reported that the five passengers were tourists from Spain who were on a sightseeing trip to the city.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), witness Belle Angel recounted the shocking incident in detail as it unfolded at around 15:15 local time.
"I noticed that [there was] a helicopter, the propeller just exploded in the air. There were other people on the boardwalk and we were like, first we were shocked, we were like, 'did you see that, is that real?' We were like questioning ourselves: 'did that just happen?' Because as soon as the propeller exploded, the helicopter lost control and it was waving back and forth, it was like a sway," she said.
"It just kept going, and then it crashed into the water. We screamed because we were like, this just didn't happen. You are just like in disbelief, like, no, we didn't see this. You just can't believe that it just happened like that," she added.
Angel said there appeared to be a slow initial response at the scene, with even the police seemingly unprepared for the situation and failing to coordinate an immediate rescue effort.
"We were questioning each other like what do we do? Do we call 911? I'm like, what do we do, because people could be on that plane (helicopter) that just crashed. There is no help, it's just there. And I noticed that for the first 10 minutes nobody knew what to do, so I kept walking. I saw a police officer and they were like, 'OK, we're with Hoboken [Police Department], we're taking care of it'. But my point is, I know when my train left at 3:30 p.m., there was no help. There was nobody there. There was nobody in the water. The helicopter just crashed and there were no activities after that. And to me that was scary," she said.
Angel also described the sense of shock among other bystanders, with many left stunned by what they had just witnessed.
"People were crying, we were hugging each other like, oh my god, this just happened, this is real. We were in disbelief, we were just like, we wanted to help, but we didn't know how to help because this doesn't happen every day," she said.
The chopper, a Bell 206, a model widely used in commercial and government aviation, is said to have split in two before it went down, according to local media reports.
The incident is the deadliest helicopter crash in the New York City area since 2018.
Witness recounts horrifying moments of deadly New York helicopter crash
