Chinese Officials Rush to Contain Floods After Dam Breach in Hunan Province

CENTRAL CHINA (AFP) — Chinese authorities scrambled on Saturday to address severe flooding caused by a dam breach in Hunan province, as the nation continues to battle a summer marked by extreme weather conditions.

The breach occurred on Friday afternoon along an embankment on the shore of Dongting Lake in central Hunan, according to state news agency Xinhua. The 226-meter (740-foot) gap forced the evacuation of nearly 6,000 residents from nearby areas. Despite the scale of the breach, no casualties have been reported so far, state broadcaster CCTV confirmed.

Dramatic footage released by CCTV showed water from Dongting Lake gushing through the breach, submerging farmland and reaching the rooftops of village homes. The floodwaters have inundated large areas, causing significant disruption to local communities.

In response to the crisis, the country’s road monitoring centre announced traffic controls on all roads leading to and from Hunan's Huarong county, which has a population of around half a million. “During the control period, vehicles other than those assisting with flood prevention are prohibited from passing through,” the centre stated on social media platform Weibo.

President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out rescue and relief work to safeguard people’s lives and property," Xinhua reported. The emergency management ministry has dispatched over 800 personnel, nearly 150 vehicles, and dozens of boats to aid in blocking the breach and conducting flood relief operations.

The central government has allocated an additional 540 million yuan ($74 million) in relief funds for Hunan and other affected regions, according to CCTV, citing sources from the finance and emergency management ministries.

China is experiencing a summer of extreme weather, with severe flooding affecting central and southern regions, while the northern parts of the country endure relentless heat waves. The nation’s ongoing battle with these adverse conditions highlights the urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.