Team deployed to aid rescue after dike breach in China's second-largest freshwater lake

An aerial drone photo taken on July 5, 2024 shows rescuers working on a dike of Dongting Lake in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A work team has been dispatched to central China's Hunan Province to guide rescue efforts after a dike breach in the country's second-largest freshwater lake on Friday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

More than 800 people from the China National Comprehensive Fire and Rescue Team, 146 vehicles and 82 boats have been sent to the scene, according to the ministry.

An additional 50 rescue workers, along with 30 sets of equipment and a water engineering rescue team from the provincial capital Changsha, have been deployed to block the breach. Surveying drones and remote sensing satellites are being used to collect images of the breach and the surrounding affected area, the ministry said.

Emergency supplies have been sent to support local authorities in the evacuation and resettlement of disaster-affected residents.

As of 10 p.m. Friday, 5,000 residents in the affected area had been safely relocated. There were no immediate reports of trapped individuals or casualties.

The dike breach that occurred in the Dongting Lake was initially about 10 meters wide but expanded afterward. The affected area near Tuanbei Village covers approximately 50 square km. This area experienced a dike breach in 1996.

Since June 16, Hunan has seen its heaviest rainfall of the year, breaking historical records in some regions. 

Rescuers work in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 5, 2024 shows rescuers working on a dike of Dongting Lake in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Rescuers transfer stranded residents in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 6, 2024. (Fire and Rescue Department of Hunan/Handout via Xinhua)

Rescuers transfer stranded residents in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 6, 2024. (Fire and Rescue Department of Hunan/Handout via Xinhua)

A rescuer monitors the water level in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Rescuers reinforce a dike in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Rescuers transfer a stranded resident in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 6, 2024. (Fire and Rescue Department of Hunan/Handout via Xinhua)

Rescuers reinforce a dike in Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province, July 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)