Strong aftershock jolts China

2008-06-05 11:10

Mianyang - A magnitude 5.3 aftershock struck China's quake-battered Sichuan province on Thursday, amid concerns over rising water levels in a lake formed by landslides from the massive May 12 temblor.

There were no immediate reports of new damage or injuries. The US Geological Survey said the aftershock struck at 12:41 just south of the town of Qingchuan at the relatively shallow depth of 10km.

Authorities had earlier begun evacuating people downstream from Tangjiashan lake, formed above the devastated town of Beichuan, after water rose to within two metres of flooding its bank, threatening up to one million quake survivors.

Authorities planned to drain lake water through a diversion channel as early as Thursday. By noon, people in the downstream city of Mianyang had begun moving to higher ground. Several tent camps set up to house quake victims were empty and police and army troops were blocking roads into low-lying areas.

Leaving for higher ground

At a camp near Mianyang's Fule mountain, refugees said they had been told to leave for high ground by mid-afternoon.

"They told everybody to evacuate because it wouldn't be safe," said Yang Jiayun, sitting in her tent pitched near a hillside.

The flood threat has been exacerbated by waves formed by aftershocks and continued heavy rain in the mountains upstream.

Steep hillsides that collapsed into river valleys during the May 12 quake blocked water and formed more than 30 new lakes. Explosives and heavy machinery have been used in several cases to clear the rubble.

- AP