Landslides killed 21 people in central China

BEIJING -- Landslides killed 21 people in central China, while authorities prepared Sunday to blast earthen flood barriers to divert river waters running at their highest level in more than a decade, officials and state media reported.\nThe landslides occurred Friday across a swathe of the Chongqing and Sichuan regions, which were pounded by torrential rains, newspapers and the official Xinhua News Agency reported. No details were given.\nMeanwhile, more than 10,000 people were evacuated from areas along the Huaihe River in the province of Anhui ahead of explosions to rip open a dike and allow waters to flood into a low-lying plain, said an official with the local anti-flood office in the nearby city of Yingshang. He gave only his surname, Ma.\nThe Huaihe's waters registered 91 feet Saturday evening, the China Youth Daily said. That was almost 3.3 feet higher than in 1991, when high waters caused massive flooding throughout central and eastern China.\nSteady rains in the area have forced 22,000 people to move to higher ground, Xinhua and newspapers said. More than half a million people in the area, including about 1,000 soldiers, have been assigned to inspect other dikes for weaknesses and patch holes.