An aerial view of emergency repair operations at a levee breach along the Beiru River in Pingdingshan, Central China's Henan Province, on August 13, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Levee breaches have occurred in Zhoukou, Pingdingshan and Yanling in Central China's Henan Province amid recent continuous heavy rainfall, prompting emergency evacuations and rescue operations. No casualties have been reported so far, while China's Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched additional rescue personnel and heavy engineering equipment to Zhoukou to support ongoing emergency response work.

A total of 781 local residents have been evacuated due to a levee breach on the eastern bank of the Jialu River in Zhoukou at around 11 pm on Thursday, due to pressure from upstream inflows on the Jialu River and backwater from the Shaying River, the breach is about 30 meters wide, according to the Xinhua News Agency on Friday. 

The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched 200 personnel from China Anneng Group, along with 110 sets of large engineering and rescue equipment, to Zhoukou, after the levee breach on the Jialu River, the ministry said on Friday.

The rescue force, equipped with powered pontoon boats, amphibious excavators, loaders and other heavy engineering machinery, arrived at the scene by 10 am on Friday and immediately began emergency response and rescue operations.

CCTV News reported that the breach flooded a hospital compound and a driving school in Zhoukou, with floodwaters reaching up to 1.5 meters deep.

After the breach occurred, Zhoukou's fire department mobilized 290 personnel from seven nearby brigades to the scene, deploying loaders, inflatable boats, motorboats and other rescue equipment to search for and evacuate stranded people area by area.

According to Henan Daily, another levee breach occurred along the left bank of the Beiru River in Jiaxian county, Pingdingshan, earlier at around 7 pm on Wednesday. The breach, measuring about 47.5 meters wide, prompted local authorities to evacuate 2,182 residents from six villages in two rounds. No casualties were reported, and all evacuees were properly accommodated.

According to an official notice from Yanling county in Xuchang, another levee breach occurred along the Qingyi River near Cangtou village on Thursday, as continuous heavy rainfall kept the river at high levels. Local authorities immediately launched an emergency response and organized evacuations and other risk-prevention measures. No casualties have been reported.

Global Times