RESCUE personnel sealed a 226-meter breach in a dike at China’s second-largest freshwater lake on Monday night, according to local authorities. At 10:31 p.m. on Monday, the final truckload of rocks was dumped into the breach in a dike at Dongting Lake, amidst the cheers of the rescue personnel. According to the Yueyang flood control and drought relief headquarters, the sealing will expedite drainage and post-disaster reconstruction. The breach at Dongting Lake in the city of Yueyang, central China’s Hunan Province, was caused by floodwaters from torrential rain, with more than 7,000 residents evacuated since the dike burst on Friday afternoon. At approximately 4 p.m. on Friday, a serious piping, an erosion-related incident, occurred at the dike. Despite emergency efforts to seal the leak, the dike failed and a breach formed. Prior to the breach, Hunan Province experienced 17 consecutive days of heavy rainfall, the longest period of regional heavy rain since 1961. The local government has established four relocation sites in the county seat, each equipped with ample daily necessities and medical support services, as well as air-conditioners and fans to combat the summer heat. As of Saturday, a total of 7,680 people who needed to be relocated had been safely evacuated, with no casualties reported, and all have been properly resettled. (Xinhua) | 