China dam burst kills 15 people

At least 15 people have been killed after a dam collapsed in south-west China, state media has reported.

Dozens of houses were destroyed when a torrent of water swept through the town of Xiaocaoba in Yunnan province, Xinhua new agency said.

Flooding has claimed more than 700 lives in China so far this year.

The latest burst comes amid warnings from environmentalists that thousands of villagers living beneath China's enormous Three Gorges Dam are at risk.

Critics of the dam say if it breaks, if would spell disaster for those living down-river.

A local official said days of heavy rain had caused a retaining wall in a reservoir in Xiaocaoba to collapse.

Xinhua said one person was missing and another 23 were injured.