In chaotic and crowded subways, elderly and elderly residents of China’s megacity Chongqing seek refuge from the country’s hottest summer on record — the air conditioning and subterranean coolness offer respite from the scorching temperatures outside.
A heatwave is hitting several Chinese provinces, causing factories to close and lights to be dimmed on some of the country’s most well-known streets.
Experts have said the heatwave’s intensity, scale and duration could make it one of the most severe in global history.
In Chongqing, home to 30 million people, the Jialing River – a tributary of the Yangtze River – is running dry and patience is failing.
To beat the heat, hundreds of middle-aged and older residents have descended into the depths of the city’s subway stations to while away the hours smoking, playing cards and napping.
Spread out in massage chairs or snoozing on blankets, some are street cleaners on their breaks, others manual workers, while some just live nearby or are unemployed with nothing better to do.
Despite a recent Covid-19 outbreak in the city that has seen 10 million called in for mandatory testing, masks are few.
At a nearby supermarket that has become a buzz, a manager told AFP that many who spend their time underground have air conditioning at home but are bored and want to have a bit of underground fun with friends.
Stunned commuters squeeze past the crowds – a reminder that business in the city goes on despite the heat that scorches the streets above.
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