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ASIA-PACIFIC 
Evacuations ordered as quake lake swells
Wednesday, 28 May, 2008
Excavators work at Tangjiashan quake lake in Beichuan County, in China's southwest Sichuan province. (AAP)
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Chinese authorities have ordered mass evacuations as a dangerously swelling lake formed by this month's earthquake threatened to engulf thousands of homes, while further aftershocks rattled the region.
As the death toll from the May 12 quake jumped to 67,000, state media said that emergency workers had wanted to move the residents from their homes near the so-called "quake lake" by midnight Tuesday (0200 AEST Wednesday).
Al the latest news on the quake
About 70,000 people were earlier removed from Beichuan County as concern rose that the lake - formed when the quake triggered landslides that blocked the Jian river - could overflow and surge downstream.
"The Tangjiashan quake lake should be our most urgent task," Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency today after earlier visiting the site.
"It is threatening millions of lives in the area downstream and any negligence will cause new disasters to people who have already suffered the quake," he said.
Strong aftershocks
Heightening the sense of fear still stalking China's southwestern Sichuan province, a strong aftershock measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale earlier rattled the area and was felt in the provincial capital Chengdu.
It was followed about 30 minutes later by a second aftershock measuring 5.7 that shook neighbouring Shaanxi province, state media reported.
Xinhua later said 420,000 houses had collapsed in Sichuan's Qingchuan County as a result of the aftershocks and 63 people there had been injured, six critically.
He Yongnian, former deputy director of the China Seismological Bureau, was quoted as saying that aftershocks could "last for two or three months," complicating already difficult quake relief efforts.
Authorities have had to cope with thousands of aftershocks and a myriad of other dangers while trying to provide food, shelter and medical help for the millions left homeless across an area the size of South Korea.
Death toll tops 67,000
In Beijing, cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said the confirmed death toll stood at 67,183, with a further 20,790 missing.
One of the most urgent tasks now is trying to prevent the lake -- one of 35 said to be at risk -- from spilling over and swamping an area that is home to some 1.3 million people.
Troops armed with dynamite are trying to blast channels through the debris blocking the river to reduce the level of the lake, thought to be holding some 130 million cubic metres of water.
Liu Ning, the water resources ministry's chief engineer who is supervising the operation, said people were being moved for their own safety.
"It's better for them to complain about the trouble that the evacuation would bring than to shed tears after the possible danger," he said.
The lake is inaccessible by road and the teams of soldiers, engineers and police had to hike through remote and mountainous terrain.
Li Huzhang, an engineer in the paramilitary People's Armed Police, said at least 50,000 cubic metres of debris would have to be removed but rescuers were aiming for 100,000 cubic metres to minimise the risk.
Rain could hamper relief operation
However, predictions of further rain threatened to make the operation more difficult and caused jitters among locals living in makeshift camps near their collapsed homes.
The government said last week that just over 5.4 million people lost their homes. Many now live in tents or hastily erected units in temporary camps, but an untold number are still living without any shelter at all.
Another concern is the possible spread of disease in the disaster zone. A health ministry spokesman said Tuesday that mass emergency vaccinations would be carried out, but reported no major outbreaks thus far.
One-child policy relaxed
For the grieving survivors of the quake, there was some minor consolation after authorities announced that China's strict family planning policies would be eased to allow parents who lost a child to have another.
New guidelines allow couples who lost their only child to have a second as long as they get official permission, the Chengdu Evening News said.
China's one-child policy generally allows families living in urban areas to have one child and rural families two if the first is a girl.
The quake struck in the middle of the day when schools were full, sending entire floors crashing down and burying children in their classrooms.
Source: AFP
As the death toll from the May 12 quake jumped to 67,000, state media said that emergency workers had wanted to move the residents from their homes near the so-called "quake lake" by midnight Tuesday (0200 AEST Wednesday).
Al the latest news on the quake
About 70,000 people were earlier removed from Beichuan County as concern rose that the lake - formed when the quake triggered landslides that blocked the Jian river - could overflow and surge downstream.
"The Tangjiashan quake lake should be our most urgent task," Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency today after earlier visiting the site.
"It is threatening millions of lives in the area downstream and any negligence will cause new disasters to people who have already suffered the quake," he said.
Strong aftershocks
Heightening the sense of fear still stalking China's southwestern Sichuan province, a strong aftershock measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale earlier rattled the area and was felt in the provincial capital Chengdu.
It was followed about 30 minutes later by a second aftershock measuring 5.7 that shook neighbouring Shaanxi province, state media reported.
Xinhua later said 420,000 houses had collapsed in Sichuan's Qingchuan County as a result of the aftershocks and 63 people there had been injured, six critically.
He Yongnian, former deputy director of the China Seismological Bureau, was quoted as saying that aftershocks could "last for two or three months," complicating already difficult quake relief efforts.
Authorities have had to cope with thousands of aftershocks and a myriad of other dangers while trying to provide food, shelter and medical help for the millions left homeless across an area the size of South Korea.
Death toll tops 67,000
In Beijing, cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said the confirmed death toll stood at 67,183, with a further 20,790 missing.
One of the most urgent tasks now is trying to prevent the lake -- one of 35 said to be at risk -- from spilling over and swamping an area that is home to some 1.3 million people.
Troops armed with dynamite are trying to blast channels through the debris blocking the river to reduce the level of the lake, thought to be holding some 130 million cubic metres of water.
Liu Ning, the water resources ministry's chief engineer who is supervising the operation, said people were being moved for their own safety.
"It's better for them to complain about the trouble that the evacuation would bring than to shed tears after the possible danger," he said.
The lake is inaccessible by road and the teams of soldiers, engineers and police had to hike through remote and mountainous terrain.
Li Huzhang, an engineer in the paramilitary People's Armed Police, said at least 50,000 cubic metres of debris would have to be removed but rescuers were aiming for 100,000 cubic metres to minimise the risk.
Rain could hamper relief operation
However, predictions of further rain threatened to make the operation more difficult and caused jitters among locals living in makeshift camps near their collapsed homes.
The government said last week that just over 5.4 million people lost their homes. Many now live in tents or hastily erected units in temporary camps, but an untold number are still living without any shelter at all.
Another concern is the possible spread of disease in the disaster zone. A health ministry spokesman said Tuesday that mass emergency vaccinations would be carried out, but reported no major outbreaks thus far.
One-child policy relaxed
For the grieving survivors of the quake, there was some minor consolation after authorities announced that China's strict family planning policies would be eased to allow parents who lost a child to have another.
New guidelines allow couples who lost their only child to have a second as long as they get official permission, the Chengdu Evening News said.
China's one-child policy generally allows families living in urban areas to have one child and rural families two if the first is a girl.
The quake struck in the middle of the day when schools were full, sending entire floors crashing down and burying children in their classrooms.
Source: AFP
