Badong (AsiaNews) – A landslide near China's huge Three Gorges Dam trapped four workers, killing one, state media reported. Of the three survivors one is gravely injured and two others are “missing”.
The landslide hit as they worked on a half-completed railway line near the dam reservoir in the central province of Hubei. The slide also severed a nearby highway in Badong County.
Badong is one of the hilly areas along the reservoir that has seen more landslides and tremors since the water level reached 156 metres above sea level last year, increasing pressure on brittle slopes.
Construction of the dam began in 1994 following years of controversy over the plan, which environmental critics call a dangerous folly. According to government plans the dam will reach its maximum capacity of 39.3 billion cubic metres of water by the end of next year.
Over 5 million local residents have been relocated to make room for the dam which is supposed to greatly increase China’s energy output. Local activists say it is causing “incalculable” damage to the environment.
