China blasts dam to release flood waters

An aerial view shows flooded residential buildings due to rising water levels of the Yangtze river in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China. Pic/AFP

China blasted a dam over a river in Anhui province on Sunday to discharge the surging flood waters as torrential rains and floods wreaked havoc in the country, killing over 100 people.

The dam on the Chuhe river, a tributary of the mighty Yangtze River, was destroyed with explosives to ease the flood control pressure in the river basin, state-run CCTV reported.

Water levels on many rivers, including the Yangtze, have been unusually high this year because of torrential rains. The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze last week opened three floodgates as the water level behind the world's biggest dam rose more than 15 metres above flood level.

Last week, official media reported that over 140 people were killed or missing since June. On Sunday, China's national observatory renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms, as incessant downpours would continue to wreak havoc in vast stretches of the country.

140
Approx no. of people killed in the floods

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