Dongting Lake dike breach expected to be closed by Tuesday

The dike breach along the Dongting Lake at a township in Hunan province is expected to be sealed off by 12 am on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

A total of 87.3 meters of the dike breach has been sealed off as of 3 pm on Sunday, as first respondents make the most efforts to close the 220 meters of gap that has occurred in the dike in Tuanzhou township, Huarong county, in Hunan's Yueyang city, according to a news conference.

The breach occurred at around 5:48 pm on Friday. A similar breach took place at the township in July 1996.

Zhang Yingchun, executive deputy governor of Hunan province, said emergency rescuers are racing against time to seal off the dam. With the cooperation of trucks and ships carrying the rocks, they can proceed constructing 60 to 80 meters of dam per day. A total of 100,000 cubic meters of rocks are needed to close the gap, she said.