Obstacles impeding the flow of water have been cleared from the spillway of the three stone reservoir in Fushun county in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Local authorities have used explosives in an effort to clear the spillway three times, and part of the reservoir has resumed operation. Toppled trees and other debris became lodged in the spillway after torrential rainfall which reached 220 millimeters, the highest within the province. More than 1,500 local residents have been safely evacuated.