Three Gorges Dam hits record levels as flooding continues in China

Fear is growing again in China the Three Gorges Dam could be breached as rivers across the country continue to overflow and rise to record levels.

About 260,000 residents in the southwestern city of Chongqing have been evacuated, and thousands of shops in the city were submerged under water by Thursday, state-owned Beijing News reported.

The dam, which was built in 2003 and spans the Yangtze River in Hubei Province, is expected to receive a record 76,000 cubic meters of water per second as heavy downpours continue in the region, according to the report.

Chinese authorities have said 10 of the dam's floodgates were opened on Wednesday, discharging 48,000 cubic meters of water per second....
 (upi)
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• Three Gorges sets hydropower record
• Yangtze River sees highest flood peak of the year, Three Gorges Dam reservoir reaching 48,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday