An overnight rainstorm on Wednesday flooded a section of the railway linking Beijing with Baotou city, northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region, deferring 24 train trips.

The railway authorities in Hohhot, the regional capital, have diverted the trains to three feeder railroads to ensure the safety of passengers, while mobilizing manpower to rush to repair the track.

A spokesman with the railway bureau said about 12,000 passengers were estimated to have been stranded. The bureau is taking measures to send food and drinking water to them.