Xi urges all-out rescue, relief work after dike breach in Central China

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue and relief work to safeguard people's lives and property after a dike breach in Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan province which occurred Friday afternoon.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction.

On Friday afternoon, a dike of the Dongting Lake burst in Tuanzhou township, Huarong county under Hunan's Yueyang city, causing flooding in the area. All the local people affected have been safely evacuated.

Xi, who is on a foreign visit, stressed that people in threatened areas should be evacuated in a timely manner and properly resettled, adding that all-out rescue work should be carried out to protect the safety of people's lives and property. He asked the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters to dispatch a team to strengthen guidance.

Xi emphasized that since China entered the main flood season, some areas in the country have experienced heavy rainfall for a prolonged duration, leading to a severe flood control situation. The prolonged water erosion of embankments may result in dangerous situations, posing significant risks and hidden dangers.

Relevant local Party committees, governments and departments should take prompt action and mobilize forces to carry out flood prevention, disaster relief and emergency rescue work. They should strengthen inspections of embankments and promptly identify and address any potential risks to ensure safety, Xi said.

Li Qiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and premier of the State Council, ordered that all efforts should be made to deal with the emergency, control the development of the situation, properly accommodate the affected people and strengthen the patrol of reservoirs and embankments.

Li urged the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters to strengthen early warning and consultation, as well as guidance for and supervision over all localities and departments in flood control and disaster relief work.

According to the instructions of Xi and the request of Li, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Emergency Management have sent working groups to the scene. Party and government officials of Hunan province and Yueyang city are at the site to direct emergency response.