Power had been partly restored and some trains and flights were running on Thursday but analysts said disruption could last for several days, pushing up prices and slowing business across densely populated Henan and neighboring provinces.

Zhengzhou, Henan's capital of 12 million people, 650 kilometers southwest of Beijing, is the junction for the major north-south and east-west high-speed rail lines, with connections to most major Chinese cities from one of Asia's largest stations.

Transportation of coal, which generates most of China's power, from top mining regions like Inner Mongolia and Shanxi via Zhengzhou to central and eastern China was "severely impacted", the state planner said on Wednesday, just as power plants scramble for fuel to meet peak summer demand.

"As Zhengzhou is a top national transportation hub and Henan province is a major producer of grains, raw materials and some manufactured products like iPhones, we believe the rainfall and flooding will have a material impact on business activity and inflation in the short term," Nomura analysts wrote.

Foxconn, which makes iPhones for Apple at a plant in Zhengzhou, said there has been no direct impact on its main facility.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide any updates as appropriate," it said.

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