China's Three Gorges dam faces flood test

The Three Gorges dam on China's longest river, the Yangtze, is standing up to its biggest flood control test since completion last year, officials have said.

Floodwaters in the giant reservoir rose 4m (13ft) overnight, and are now just 20m below the dam's maximum capacity.

Dr Cao Guangjing, head of China Three Gorges Corporation, told the BBC that 40,000 cubic metres/second were released, with 30,000 cubic metres/second of water held back in the reservoir.