China's Three Gorges dam battles mammoth flood waters

The Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze river has withstood its highest floodwater levels since it was completed four years ago, Chinese officials say.

Overnight, the flow of water through the dam was the fastest ever recorded, as the level in its giant reservoir rose dramatically.

It is hoped the dam will limit the impact of flooding downstream. Weeks of floods and landslides in central and southern China have left several hundred people dead or missing.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas reports from Guang'an City in Sichuan province, where the old city has suffered heavy flooding.