The death toll from the flash floods in northwest China's Qinghai Province has risen to 12 with 3 still missing. Meanwhile a reservoir in the area that is on the verge of collapse has forced the evacuation of 5-thousand people.

Heavy rain has been pounding Huangyuan County in Qinghai since Tuesday. The rain-triggered floods have destroyed houses, cut transport links as well as power and water supplies.

A resident of Yangpowan village says most of the people in her village managed to escape, but crops and houses were ruined.

At least 77 houses collapsed in the floods. Roads to 20 villages were cut off while 67 villages in Huangyuan County have no electricity and 9 villages are without water.

A top official from Huangyuan County says food and accommodation have been provided to affected villagers, while the repair of traffic, power and water supplies is underway.

Meanwhile, the villagers living close to the Wenquan reservoir in a rural area of Golmud City have all been evacuated to safely.

They have been put up in a makeshift shelter with 120 tents. Each tent has been supplied with food and bedding.

The municipal government had reported several leaks in the embankment of the reservoir. They have also warned that if it collapses, the city with a population of 2-hundred thousand could be flooded by waters up to 4 meters deep.

So far the water level in Wenquan reservoir is 1.7 meters above the danger mark. And it is still rising at one centimeter per hour as the snow on nearby mountains continues to melt as temperatures climb.

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