BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) - A huge landslide that began on Thursday in central China's Hubei province has destroyed houses and blocked a river, and the flow of mud and rock is expected to continue in the coming days, Xinhua reported on Sunday.

The landslide occurred in Badong county, near Qingjiang River, after rising water in a reservoir loosened the foundation of a slope, Xinhua quoted a local disaster relief official as saying.

Qiaohe River, a major tributary of Qingjiang, had been blocked by mud and rocks.

No casualties were reported and all the 660 or so residents in the affected area would be evacuated by Monday, Xinhua said.

With the water in the reservoir still rising, more than 26 million cubic metres of mud and rock would flow in the next few days, more than three times the size of the slide that had already occurred, Xinhua quoted another official as saying.

AlertNet news is provided by