China: At least 14 dead as Yangtze river rises 50ft above flood level

China's longest river has risen more than 50ft (15m) above flood level, as the country struggles with some of the most severe flooding in years.

At least 14 people have died and tens of thousands of others evacuated as central and southern parts of China are ravaged by floods caused by torrential rain.



Communities along the Yangtze, which flows from west to east, have been the worst affected by the annual monsoon season.



Three floodgates of the Three Gorges Dam that spans the Yangtze were opened as the water level behind the massive structure rose more than 15m above flood level, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The dam was holding back about 45% of the water, it said.

Earlier this week, authorities warned the country was entering a "critical period" with some 433 rivers affected by the floods - 33 of them reaching record water levels.




China's ministry of water resources said the situation along the Yangtze, as well as Dongting Lake in Hunan province, and Poyang Lake and Taihu Lake in Jiangxi province, was "severe".

Read more here