Ships wait in line at the Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal, in Panama City, Panama's capital, Dec. 8, 2010. The Panama Canal reopened on Thursday after its first 17-hour closure since the 1989 U.S. invasion, due to heavy rains. [Xinhua/Monica Rueda]
The Panama Canal reopened on Thursday after pouring rains forced its closure for 17 hours, the Authority of the Panama Canal (ACP) said.
"The canal is now operating, the suspension was due to the strong rains in the canal basin and other parts of the country," ACP Administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta said.
Traffic through the canal, which accounts for 5 percent of the world trade flow, was suspended Wednesday due to heavy rains that has left eight people dead and 1,500 others evacuated.
According to Zubieta, the canal was temporarily shut because both Gatun and Alajuela dams, which provide water to the canal, reached their historical maximum capacity.
It was the first time Panama Canal traffic was suspended since the U.S. invasion in 1989.
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Source: China.org.cn - China news
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