A 600-year-old imperial tomb near a flood-ravaged Lake in east China has escaped from a danger of being submerged thanks to protection effort amid severe flooding and rainstorms, local government sources said yesterday.

A 2,700-meter-long cofferdam built in the 1970s separates the tomb from the Hongze Lake, which covers an area of 2,069 square kilometers and is still suffering from heavy floods since June.

"The water level of Hongze Lake is higher than the ground of the tomb. If the cofferdam was damaged, the tomb would be flooded," said Wang Dong, an official in charge of the tomb protection.

"We are keeping round-the-clock inspection to monitor the water level and condition at the cofferdam," he said.

"In a bid to fight against the new round of flood peak, which is expected to arrive in a couple of days, we have prepared abundant facilities and materials, including pumps, rocks and sandsacks, around the tomb," the official added.

A drainage system has been installed, ensuring rainfall on the building roof to be collected in a pool and flow through a underground channel.

Meanwhile, a pump has been equipped to drain off the water from the pool.

Built in 1413 by Zhu Yuanzhang, first emperor the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the tomb owners were grandparents and parents of the empire founder.

The tomb site covers an area of 47 hectares and consists of ruins of three walls and a 250-metre-long paved path.

The tomb once devoured by the Yellow River flood in 1680, it reappeared in 1966's low-water season and have been well preserved afterwards.

Continuous torrential rain since late June has caused widespread flooding along Huaihe River, which originates in the central province of Henan and runs east through Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu. The Hongze Lake is a major water source along the Huaihe River.

By last Friday, a total of 403 people had been killed with 105 missing and 3.17 million people have been relocated as the rainy season coupled with ferocious flood waters continues to batter central and southern China.

According to the statistics yesterday from Anhui provincial disaster relief, 60,000 houses have collapsed, and total economic losses have reached 9.17 billion yuan (about US$ 120 million).