China seals second-largest freshwater lake's dike breach

Local authorities said that at 10:31 p.m. on Monday (July 8), rescue workers had successfully sealed a 226-meter breach in the dike at China's second-largest freshwater lake.

Floodwaters from torrential rain caused the breach at Dongting Lake in the city of Yueyang, central China's Hunan Province, with at least 7,000 residents having been evacuated since the dike burst on Friday afternoon.

According to the Yueyang flood control and drought relief headquarters, the sealing will expedite drainage and post-disaster reconstruction and alleviate pressure on the second line of defense, a 14.3-km embankment located approximately two kilometers behind the dike.