A state of emergency was declared today in China's flood-stricken central province of Hunan.
Millions are under threat from water levels approaching those last seen during disastrous floods in 1998, officials said.
People were being evacuated from near Dongting Lake, which acts as a catchment for the historically flood-prone Yangtze River, according to the International Red Cross in Beijing.
Dongting and sections of the Yangtze last overflowed in 1998, when more than 4,100 people were killed, and there are fears that this summer - which has already seen about 900 deaths - could prove equally devastating.
Hunan has already been badly affected by flooding this month, with 108 people killed and 38 million affected, according to officials.
AFP
