A soldier on Monday shoulders a sandbag that will be used to reinforce a dike along the Yangtze River in Wuhu, East China’s Anhui province.

Soldiers fill sandbags with mud near a dike.

Mud clings to a soldier’s clothing. More than 7,000 soldiers had been dispatched to flood-stricken cities in eastern China, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.

Soldiers haul sandbags Tuesday near Poyang Lake in Lushan, East China’s Jiangxi province.

A soldier falls into muddy water while carrying a sandbag.

A soldier washes his face with muddy water Sunday near Poyang Lake.

Soldiers rest on Monday in Jiujiang, Jiangxi.