Dike breach closing after incident at a lake in Hunan province

About 75 meters of the dike breach have been sealed off as of midnight on Sunday, as rescuers race against time to close the 220 meters of a gap that occurred to the dike along the Dongting Lake in Huarong county of Hunan province, according to China Central Television.

The closing efforts started on Saturday afternoon after the water level of Dongting Lake had leveled with that of the inundated township.

Apart from using trucks to carry the rocks, three ships have also been employed to speed up the closing efforts.

Experts estimated that a total of 100,000 cubic meters of rocks are needed to close the gap.

The breach, at the dike in Tuanzhou township, Huarong county, under Hunan's Yueyang city, occurred at around 5:48 pm on Friday.

According to Hunan Daily, the water level of Dongting Lake dropped on Sunday, which means the flood water began to flow from the inundated township towards the lake.

Meanwhile, the sunny weather and relatively calm water have offered favorable conditions for the construction.

The lake is the second-largest fresh water lake in China and connects major rivers of Hunan province with the Yangtze River.

The water levels at the lake have been increasing due to a record amount of rainfall in many parts of Hunan province since June 16, as the lake connects major rivers in the province to the Yangtze River.

A similar breach took place at the township in July 1996.