More than 1,500 people were evacuated from their homes Wednesday after a reservoir sluiceway collapsed in central China's Hunan Province, local government sources said Thursday.

No casualties had been reported after the collapse at the Zhongqiutian Reservoir, in Lingguan Township of Anren County, at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, said a spokesman for the county government.

All the evacuees were staying with neighbors and relatives, but it was not known when they would be able to return to their homes, said the spokesman

About 6.7 hectares of farmland were submerged by water from the reservoir, said the spokesman.

All the sluices on the reservoir had been opened to allow enough water to drain away so that repairs could begin, said a spokesman for the Hunan provincial flood and drought relief headquarters.

However, rain was forecast over the next two days, which could delay the repairs, said the headquarters spokesman.

The 20-cm fissure emerged Tuesday night at the exit of the sluiceway. The collapse caused a 10-meter crack in the reservoir dam, Li Anguo, a reservoir manager, told Xinhua Thursday.

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