Dike breaches sealed in rain-hit Central China

CHANGSHA -- All three dike breaches on a river in Central China's Hunan province have been sealed after rescuers worked around the clock to reduce the threat of flooding.

The last two dike breaches on the Juanshui River in the city of Xiangtan were repaired on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The dike breaches occurred between July 28 and 29 after Typhoon Gaemi triggered record-breaking floods on the Juanshui river. One of them was successfully sealed on July 29.

The Juanshui flows into the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze.

Rescue workers said that 80 units of heavy machinery, including excavators and bulldozers, had been sent to repair the dike.

Rainstorms have wreaked havoc in Hunan since late July, triggering flash floods and landslides that destroyed homes and severed roads. In the hard-hit city of Zixing, intense rain had killed 30 people and left 35 others missing as of Friday.