Rain looms as workers repair river breaches

BEIJING: Workers and soldiers began repairing two breached areas on a river after widespread flooding killed at least 211 people and caused US$6.4 billion ($9.08 billion) in damages across southern China.

Rescuers worked along on the Fuhe River near Fuzhou city, said a report posted on the Jiangxi Flood Control Headquarters website, days after it breached its banks and a dyke burst, forcing the evacuation of 100,000 people.

Thousands of soldiers and workers transported stones and sandbags to block and redirect water flows, with the goal of patching up the breach within the next week, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

But more torrential rains are expected for the southern regions of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangxi, Xinhua reported, threatening to hamper rescue efforts that have seen a total of 2.4 million people evacuated from their homes.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is in Fuzhou to rally rescuers and comfort victims, wearing galoshes and wading through floodwaters in the disaster area.

- AP