In pictures: swollen Heilong River in NE China (6/6)

Swallows perch on a flooded pole along the swollen Heilong River in Tongjiang City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 19, 2013. The Heilongjiang Provincial Hydrological Bureau forecast the stretch of the Heilong River between Tongjiang and Fuyuan County will witness the largest flooding in its history. Authorities in Tongjiang have started a Grade I response preparing for floods. (Xinhua/Wang Kai)