Torrential rains burst a dike in southern China, sending 68,000 people fleeing their homes and prompting China's top leaders to call Tuesday for stepped-up rescue operations for the thousands still in danger. Floodwaters breached the Changkai levee on the Fu River in Jiangxi province late Monday, forcing residents to relocate from their homes in the nearby city of Fuzhou, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. No casualties have been reported. Storms have pounded southern China for more than a week, killing at least 199 people, with 123 still missing, as landslides have cut off transportation, and rivers and reservoirs have overflowed, Xinhua said. Army and volunteer rescue teams have been working around the clock near Fuzhou to sandbag vulnerable areas and evacuate 12,000 more people threatened by the levee breach, Xinhua said. President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao called on rescuers to work hard to control the flood, according to the Jiangxi Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. Flooding has affected more than 10 million residents across southern China, with heavy storms expected to move south in the coming days toward Fujian and Guangzhou provinces.
