Dike breaches occur in China river, no casualties reported
Beijing: A dike breach occurred in the Juanshui River in central China’s Hunan Province at about 8 p.m. on Sunday, local authorities said.
By 9:40 p.m., the breach in Yisuhe Township of Xiangtan County had widened to about 50 metres, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the flood control and drought relief headquarters of Xiangtan City.
More than 3,100 people have been evacuated, and no casualties have been reported.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management urged efforts to evacuate the affected people, mobilise professional personnel, materials and equipment, and ensure the safety of the local people and rescuers.
An emergency rescue centre under the ministry has dispatched over 200 rescuers and 110 units of equipment to provide emergency support. Local firefighting authorities have sent 266 rescuers, 47 vehicles and 37 boats to the scene.
On Sunday, another dike breach occurred in a section of the Juanshui River in Huashi Township, Xiangtan County, authorities said. The river flows into the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze.
Evacuation and emergency response efforts are underway.
The ministry said on Saturday that Hunan would experience heavy rainstorms and parts of the province would see “extremely heavy rainstorms from Saturday evening to Monday” due to the impact of Typhoon Gaemi.