7,500 evacuated as dyke leaks in Xinjiang, no casualties reported

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 23, 2004

7,500 evacuated as dyke leaks in Xinjiang, no casualties reported

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China has successfully evacuated 7500 residents by 2:00 p.m. Thursday in the cold Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region after water was found gushing outof some holes in a large reservoir dike Wednesday evening. No casualties have been reported.

Water started pouring out of holes in the dyke of the "August 1" Reservoir of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corporation (XPCC) at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, which was designed to hold 21 million cubic meters of water.

The XPCC and the Xinjiang regional government has mobilized thearmed forces, police and the militia to the rescue, the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture also dispatched more than 80 buses for the transportation of victims.

By 2:00 p.m. Thursday, the 1st, 5th and 14th company of the 102 troupe under the XPCC, totaling 7500 people, have been moved to safety and others went to their relatives or safe areas nearby.

The reservoir was built in 1957. Twenty hours after it was slit,a 30-meter-long hole was letting out 5 cubic meters of water per second, and flooded 3 million cubic meters to farmland and houses belonging to the XPCC on the lower reaches.

Source: Xinhua

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