All the 658 residents living near a landslide area in central China's Hubei Province had been evacuated by Monday afternoon.

The government of Enshi, a prefecture inhabited by people from the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups, local companies and residents, have offered donations including, 3 million yuan (US$370,000) of relief funds, 50 tents and 400 quilts to help the affected people.

The landslides began on Thursday in Qingtaiping Town, Badong County, which is near the Qingjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, after the water level in a reservoir of the river rose to 290 meters, according to Tian Aicui, deputy head of the county.

Eighteen houses collapsed and Qiaohe River, a major tributary of Qingjiang, was blocked by mud and rocks. No casualties have been reported.

"When the water level in the reservoir rises to about 310 meters, more than 26 million cubic meters of mud and rock will start to move in the next few days," said Zhang Yuanping, another deputy head of Badong County.

Electricity and shipping services have been cut off in order to minimize the impact of the disaster. The local government is closely monitoring the area on the opposite side of the river.

The disaster occurred in a sloping area near Shuibuya reservoir. The rising water level loosened foundations at the foot of the slope, preparing the stage for the mud-rock flow, geological experts analyzed.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2007)