Thousands evacuated in China’s Hubei province after floods & landslide

Chinese authorities have evacuated thousands of residents after a landslide blocked a river and created a barrier lake that threatened to submerge neighboring villages. The landslide occurred on Tuesday when 1.5 million cubic meters of earth fell into a tributary of the Yangtze river near the city of Enshi in Hubei province, Xinhua reported.

Large parts of the country reeled under some of the heaviest rainfall in decades. The state weather bureau said on Wednesday that China was hit by fresh rounds of torrential rain this week, further raising flood risks throughout the country.

Red alerts have been declared in the provinces of Anhui and Jiangxi, which are bisected by the Yangtze, according to Reuters. The water resources ministry also warned on Tuesday that water levels in the Yangtze and adjoining lakes would continue to rise.