(August 5, 1999) Engineers have demolished the temporary barrier behind the Three Gorges dam, in a spectacular explosion.

Chinese engineers have demolished the temporary barrier behind the Three Gorges dam, in a spectacular explosion. The barrier, called a cofferdam, was used to hold back the waters of the Yangtze River while the permanent structure of the dam was built. Enough explosives to topple 400 10-storey buildings were used in the blast, China’s Xinhua news agency said.

BBC News Online, August 5, 1999