Flooding and deadly landslides halt travel

Flooding and deadly landslides closed highways and interrupted train and air travel as heavy rain in central and eastern China further raised the levels of the Yangtze River and its tributaries on Monday.

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze could see water levels surpass warning levels, with rainstorms continuing to batter the river basin areas, according to the forecast by flood control authorities in Hubei province on Monday.

China Three Gorges Corp, which runs the world's largest hydropower station, is fully prepared for possible challenges and flooding that might occur along the upper reaches of the Yangtze, said Wang Yuhua, deputy chief engineer at the company's cascade dispatch and communication center.