China Floods Force Hundreds Of Thousands Out Of Homes

Floods in mountainous southwest China have washed away
roads and forced tens of thousands from their homes, with
authorities warning Wednesday the giant Three Gorges Dam was facing
the largest flood peak in its history.

Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed murky water lapping at
the feet of the Leshan Giant Buddha — a 71m-tall figure carved into
a cliffside in Sichuan province.

CCTV said floods had not reached the Buddha’s feet since the
People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949.

The rising tide washed over rows of sandbags installed to
protect the statue — a UNESCO world heritage site and popular
tourist destination that overlooks three converging rivers.

Video footage showed soldiers evacuating residents wearing
lifejackets — many of them elderly — from Fengzhou county opposite
the statue, helping them climb into a boat.

Around 1,020 people had been stranded in Fengzhou, suffering
food and water shortages after floodwaters cut off road traffic,
state news agency Xinhua said.

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated as the cities of
Ya’an and Leshan were hit by floods, it added.

State media footage also showed tree trunks and lower branches
submerged in water, and in one dramatic shot a small building
collapsed into rushing floodwaters and was carried away.

Another UNESCO world heritage site, the Jiuzhaigou National
Park, said it would temporarily close due to safety concerns.

Elsewhere in Sichuan, 21 vehicles fell into a large hole caused
by a collapsed road early on Wednesday, although the state-run
Global Times said there were no injuries.

Xinhua said floodwaters were expected to hit the downstream
metropolis of Chongqing later this week.

AFP

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