The flooding unleashed by torrential rains that killed at least 100 people and left dozens more missing in southwestern China has prompted authorities to put the massive Three Gorges hydroelectric project on alert, officials reported yesterday.
Authorities called in more than 5,000 army and navy personnel to help after five days of continual downpours in Sichuan Province. An alert was ordered and navigation halted after flood crests passed through the Three Gorges Dam along the flood-swollen Yangtze River, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
More rains were expected, it said.
State television showed violent torrents of murky water spewing over the dam. Navigation through its huge locks was not expected to resume until tomorrow, it said.
The greatest damage was from landslides and flash floods sweeping through mountain valleys.
At least 67 people were confirmed dead and another 50 were missing in Sichuan, an official at the provincial Disaster Relief Office said yesterday. Almost 9,000 people were injured or sick due to the floods, he said.
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