The dike breach along the Dongting Lake at a township in Hunan province is expected to be sealed off by 12 am on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

A total of 87.3 meters of the dike breach has been sealed off as of 3 pm on Sunday, as first respondents make the most efforts to close the 220 meters of gap that has occurred in the dike in Tuanzhou township, Huarong county, in Hunan's Yueyang city, according to a news conference.

The breach occurred at around 5:48 pm on Friday. A similar breach took place at the township in July 1996.

Zhang Yingchun, executive deputy governor of Hunan province, said emergency rescuers are racing against time to seal off the dam. With the cooperation of trucks and ships carrying the rocks, they can proceed constructing 60 to 80 meters of dam per day. A total of 100,000 cubic meters of rocks are needed to close the gap, she said. 

Meanwhile, a total of more than 4,200 emergency rescuers and more than 3,000 pieces of equipment have been used for the rescue efforts, Zhang said at a news conference held in Huarong county on Sunday.

Great efforts have been made to strengthen the embankment that separates the inundated township with nearby ones, she said.

The embankment, viewed as "second line of defense", is located about two kilometers away from the breached dike and is 14.3 kilometers long, according to Xinhua News Agency.

More than 3,700 personnel have conducted patrols at the embankment around the clock. There have been seven accidents, which have been handled, and the embankment is under stable condition, she said.

A total of 7,680 people have been transferred and properly settled after the breach and there has been no immediate report of casualties or injuries from the accident, she said.