Death toll in E China reservoir breach rises to 11

ZHOUSHAN - Eleven people have been confirmed dead in a flood that occurred Friday morning following a dam breach in East China's Zhejiang province, as rescuers retrieved the body of a woman on Saturday.

The body was found about one km downstream from the Shenjiakeng Reservoir, a rainwater pooling dam in Daishan county in the city of Zhoushan, said a statement by the county government.

The reservoir's 28.5-meter-high earthen dam collapsed around 5 am Friday, flooding a downstream village. Twenty-seven people were injured in the flood.

"It took only few minutes for the dam to collapse. Some people escaped to places where water levels were low, while others had to stay in their homes," recalled one resident who managed to escape his flooded house.

Zhejiang has been lashed by downpours over the last few days with the arrival of typhoon Haikui, which landed in the province early Wednesday morning before moving into neighboring Anhui province.