Heavy Rains Batter China, Leaking Dam Threatens City

2010-07-15 359

Heavy rains continue to trigger floods and landslides across southern China. And a leaking dam in China's Qinghai province is threatening to flood a nearby city. Here's more.

Torrential rain continues to batter southern China, triggering floods and landslides across the region.

At least three people have been killed and 50 more are reported missing on Tuesday in China's southwest Yunnan Province.

The downpours have affected more than 17 million people spread across nine provinces over the past few weeks. So far more than 400 people have been killed.

Almost 15 million people living along the banks of the Yangtze River have been affected by the floods.

The overfilled Wenquan reservoir, located in China's Qinghai Province, has been leaking and threatens to flood a nearby city.

If the reservoir bursts, the garrison city of Golmud, with more than 200,000 people, could be flooded with water up to 13 feet deep in some areas.

More than 9,000 people in immediate danger have already been evacuated.

Floods are estimated to have caused direct economic losses totaling more than one billion U.S. dollars, damaging more than 3,000 square miles of farmland and destroying 20,000 buildings.

Meteorologists say there will be rain for the eastern and central regions around the Yangtze River for the next three days.