The aerial photo taken on July 17, 2016 shows a breached dyke on Kaotian River in Dingzijie Village of Huangmei County, central China's Hubei Province. A dyke breach occured here around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday. The local government has transfered local villagers to safe areas while blocking the breach. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi)
More than 8,000 residents were urgently evacuated after a dike breached early Sunday morning in central China's Hubei Province.
The breach has been widened to about 70 meters long as of 7 p.m., after the dike in Huangmei County collapsed around 3 a.m., the local flood control office said.
The rising flood waters have affected 10,000 mu (670 hectares) of arable land in eight villages, forcing 8,400 residents to be relocated.
Over 700 soldiers and 200 sets of equipment from neighboring three cities have been dispatched to close the breach overnight.
Besides, over 2,500 soldiers and residents have been organized to repair the lower flood control dam to ensure the safety of highways and railways.
Another dike in the provincial capital of Wuhan also breached in the afternoon, causing substantial flooding and resulting in the relocation of around 200 residents.
Power and natural gas supplies have been cut off in the area while preparations are being made to fill the breach.
