Shi Junhong, a farmer of Lianjian Village in the flood-hit area, told Xinhua that all 8 hectares of his cotton was flooded with only half of it harvested resulting in projected losses of 72,000 yuan (US$9,000).

The 2-km-long embankment, which narrows the watercourse of the Yellow River, collapsed at 4:10 PM on Tuesday after floodwater swept downstream in Dali County, said the county's flood prevention and drought control headquarters.

Around 400 farmers who were harvesting cotton and corn in the area evacuated to safety when the embankment collapsed. No casualties have been reported but over 600 hectares of cropland have been affected.

The collapsed section, originally 50 meters wide, has been narrowed down to a width of 20 meters thanks to the efforts of local leaders and residents, according to the control headquarters. About 160 trucks and other vehicles were transporting rock to support the collapsed section and it would take two more days to completely close the breach, they said. 

Upstream flood water gathered last Friday and came sweeping down the river at 3,710 cubic meters per second. This caused the embankment to collapse. The river flow has now slowed to 600 cubic meters per second near the area of the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2006)