Alert in Poyang Lake and nearby rivers upgraded to the highest as dike bursts

China raised its emergency response level for flood control along the Yangtze River as days of torrential rain triggered flood warnings across the country, and water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the river have been rising.

At 2 pm Friday, Changjiang Water Resources Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources raised the emergency response level for flood control along the Yangtze River to the second highest following the incessant downpours.

It also upgraded the flood alert in Poyang Lake and nearby rivers from orange to red－the highest in the country's four-tier color-coded weather warning system.