Dam breach triggers evacuations in southern China

Hundreds of residents were evacuated in southern China after floodwaters breached a dam and threatened others amid heavy rains that battered the region, the South China Morning Post reported Monday.

The breach occurred Monday morning at Liulan Reservoir, a medium-sized water conservancy facility in Nanning, a city in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, prompting an immediate escalation of the emergency response.

The city raised its flood control emergency response from Level III to Level I due to the severe flood situation.

Local emergency management, fire rescue and water resources departments were mobilized for rescue and relief operations, while the evacuation of affected residents was underway.

Nanning’s municipal emergency management committee said most parts of the city had been hit by torrential rains since Saturday, with some areas experiencing extraordinary downpours.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.