Nanjing's 600-year-old city wall has collapsed in three places after continuous torrential rain poured down on the capital of Jiangsu Province.

　　The wall, dating from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), fell apart at the sections of Dinghuai Gate, Liaojia Lane and Lion Mountain.

　　The biggest opening stretches 20 meters at Lion Mountain and a crack near the opening might lead to a further collapse, experts said.

　　Damage to the wall was usually traced to water erosion or tree roots, said Ge Weicheng, head of the office in charge of the ramparts under Nanjing municipal administration for cultural relics.

　　He said the damage at Liaojia Lane was caused by torrential rain and tree roots.

　　The wall was built by the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, after he selected Nanjing as the capital of his Ming Dynasty.

　　The wall was originally 33.7 kilometers long with 13 gates, but only 23.43 kilo-meters of and four gates remain. The existing length still exceeds the famous city walls of Beijing and Paris.