Dike breach on China's second-largest freshwater lake displaces 5,000

Rescuers including firefighters and armed police are closely monitoring the situation at the scene of a dike breach on Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan Province which occurred at 17:48 on Friday, local authorities have said.

The emergency evacuation of approximately 5,000 residents from the affected area had been completed by 21:00, according to the local flood control department.

No casualties have been reported.

The breach was about 10 meters wide on Friday afternoon, but has expanded to 150 meters early Saturday morning. Anti-flood experts and other personnel have been working overnight on the dike for effective control measures.

Sand carrier ships have been dispatched to the scene for follow-up operations to block possible further breach. Heavy trucks have also been deployed to fill the gap.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue and relief efforts to safeguard people's lives and property in an instruction after the dike breach occurred.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that people in the threatened areas should be evacuated in a timely manner and properly resettled, adding that all-out rescue work should be carried out to protect the safety of people's lives and property. He asked the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters to dispatch a team to strengthen guidance.

Premier Li Qiang, also member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, ordered that all efforts should be made to deal with the emergency, control the development of the situation, properly accommodate the affected people and strengthen the patrol of reservoirs and embankments.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Emergency Management have sent 800 members of the National Comprehensive Fire and Rescue Team, 146 vehicles and 82 boats to the scene. Communist Party and government officials of Hunan Province and Yueyang City are at the scene to direct emergency response.

Drones and remote sensing satellites have been mobilized for surveying, mapping and imaging the dike breach and affected areas.

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.

Dike breach on China's second-largest freshwater lake displaces 5,000

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