Over 400 militiamen, armed police personnel and firefighters have been swiftly deployed to the scene of a critical dike breach which occurred Friday on the Donging Lake in Yueyang City of central China's Hunan Province to conduct search and rescue operations and to protect local communities from flooding and possible further dike breach.
Throughout the night on Friday, the rescuers drove assault boats to and from the areas downstream of the dike breach more than a dozen times to conduct door-to-door search and evacuation of trapped residents despite the challenging conditions, including poor visibility and swift currents.
So far, the evacuation of approximately 5,000 residents from the affected area has been completed, according to the local flood control department.
The breach was initially about 10 meters wide but has since continued to expand. A large amount of lake water has overflowed from the gap with a fast flow rate, according to the government of Tuanzhou Township, Huarong County under Yueyang City.
Sand carrier ships have been dispatched to the scene of dike breach for emergency operation to block possible further breach. Heavy trucks have also been deployed in the operation to fill the gap.
Dongting is China's second-largest freshwater lake. The affected area near Tuanbei Village covers about 50 square km. This area experienced a dike breach back in 1996.
Since June 16, Hunan has suffered the strongest rainfall so far this year, which has broken local historical precipitation records in some regions.
Rescue operations intensify as dike breach threatens communities in central China's Hunan
Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Thursday that the group is willing to consider a ceasefire proposal if it includes guarantees for a truce in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
A member of Lebanese parliament from the Hezbollah coalition made the statement at a news conference in Beirut.
He criticized Israel's strike on a Beirut health care facility that killed at least five people, and warned the international community against Israel's continuous violations of international law.
"The world is facing a challenge. Can they find one humanitarian or international law that Israel hasn't violated? All U.N. charters, U.N. Security Council resolutions, Israel has violated them. Isn't it enough that it tore the U.N. Charter? Isn't it enough that it declared the [U.N.] secretary general an undesirable person, a Persona Non Grata" said Ibrahim Al Moussawi, an Hezbollah official and member of the Lebanese parliament.
The group also vowed to continue their fight until it sees a realistic proposal for a ceasefire.
"The decision for a ceasefire is left to those in the battlefield. We consult with those in the field, and we who deal with politics when we receive an offer that is realistic and would also achieve a ceasefire in Gaza as well. Only then we can consider making a deal," said Ibrahim.
The Israel Defense Forces have been carrying out an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon, dubbed "Arrows of the North", since Sept. 23, after nearly a year of low-intensity cross-border exchanges of fire with Hezbollah. And in another sign of escalation, the country has launched a ground incursion into Lebanon since early Tuesday.
The Israeli air and ground raids have since killed 1,974 people, including 127 children, wounded 9,350 others, and forced more than 1.2 million civilians to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese health minister.
Hezbollah willing to consider ceasefire proposal if it includes guarantees for truce in Gaza: official
