Yangtze River Garbage Mats Threaten To Take Down Bridge, Damage Two Dams - Reuters

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(Reuters) - Vast floating islands of rubbish and debris, accumulated after torrential rains and flooding, are threatening to topple a bridge and jam two big dams in China, state media reported on Wednesday.

One layer of garbage covering 15,000 square meters -- more than 150,000 square feet - had lodged under a bridge in the northeastern city of Baishan in Jilin province and was blocking water flow, the China Daily reported.

Officials fear a fresh wave of flooding, if crews fail to clear the debris, could bring down the bridge. If the island is washed downstream, it could block floodgates at the Yunfeng dam, now operating at full capacity.

Emergency services were scrambling to clean up the waterway, near the border with North Korea, but fear it could take days. "We have collected 40 trucks of the trash, but the remaining trash might fill another 200 trucks," the official Xinhua agency quoted police officer Wang Yong as saying. More rain is forecast in the coming days.

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