Dyke collapse destroys 28 homes in Jiangsu
Authorities blame poor geological condition of region for disaster, which wiped out 28 homes
More than two dozen houses were washed away by the Yangtze River in Jiangsu on Saturday after the collapse of 310-metre-long section of dyke protecting an island administered by the city of Zhenjiang .
No one was killed or injured, but the surging waters washed away 14 hectares of land near the dyke and flattened 28 houses belonging to seven families living on Jiangxinzhou island. The dyke was built in 1998.
Lu Zhiguo, a propaganda official from Zhenjiang's Flood Control and Drought Relief Office, said yesterday that residents had been told to evacuate to other parts of the island. He said water and electricity supplies on the island had returned to normal after being cut off for about a day.
"The situation is under control and we will finalise a plan to repair the dyke soon," he said.
Yang Xuehua saw her three-year-old home, built at a cost of 200,000 yuan (HK$245,800), washed away. She told the that a village official ordered her to abandon her home on Saturday night.
"I intended to bring some belongings, but was dragged away by the cadre," she said. "Therefore I don't have cash or bank deposits with me and my husband was evacuated in his slippers.
