Heavy rain hinders china repair efforts

Thousands of workers rushed to repair 51 small reservoirs that suffered damage and to fortify riverbanks along the Songhua River after floods triggered by torrential rain pounded north-eastern Jilin province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Flooding overwhelmed major roads after some portions of the Songhua reached water levels twice as high as normal.

The death toll rose to 1,072 people, with 619 still missing, and the floods have caused tens of billions of pounds in damage across 28 provinces and regions, Xinhua said.

Premier Wen Jiabao visited the flood-hit town of Yongji county in Jilin this week, urging local officials to increase efforts to repair reservoir damage.

Shu Qingpeng, deputy director of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said record rains had left thousands of reservoirs in dangerous condition and affected most major rivers.

"Although the level of the Three Gorges (dam) continues to fall ... the country is still in a critical period of flood prevention, so we need better forecasts and early warning systems."