A big aftershock rattled southwest China on Sunday killing at least one person and injuring 400 others, state media reported, nearly a fortnight after a big quake killed tens of thousands in the same area.
More than 70,000 houses toppled during Sunday's tremor in Sichuan province, state television reported. The 5.8 magnitude aftershock was epicentered 40 km (25 miles) west-northwest of Guangyuan, the U.S. Geological Service said.
At the same time hundreds of troops carrying explosives were trekking through the area, attempting to reach a "quake lake" that threatened a secondary disaster.
Concerned by a steep rise in the water level of a giant lake at Tangjiashan, authorities want to blast a hole in the barrier before it bursts and causes a flashflood. Thousands have been evacuated below the lake as a precaution.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who believes the overall death toll from main quake could exceed 80,000, has said the main concerns are now secondary disasters like flooding and landslides, epidemics and providing shelter for the millions of displaced.
State television earlier reported that an 80-year-old partially paralyzed man was the longest known survivor to date. He was pulled alive from the rubble on Friday, 266 hours after the 7.9 magnitude quake hit.
The man was rescued in Mianzhu city, where he had been trapped under a collapsed pillar of his house. He had survived after being fed by his wife, the television report said.
More than 70,000 houses toppled during Sunday's tremor in Sichuan province, state television reported. The 5.8 magnitude aftershock was epicentered 40 km (25 miles) west-northwest of Guangyuan, the U.S. Geological Service said.
At the same time hundreds of troops carrying explosives were trekking through the area, attempting to reach a "quake lake" that threatened a secondary disaster.
Concerned by a steep rise in the water level of a giant lake at Tangjiashan, authorities want to blast a hole in the barrier before it bursts and causes a flashflood. Thousands have been evacuated below the lake as a precaution.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who believes the overall death toll from main quake could exceed 80,000, has said the main concerns are now secondary disasters like flooding and landslides, epidemics and providing shelter for the millions of displaced.
State television earlier reported that an 80-year-old partially paralyzed man was the longest known survivor to date. He was pulled alive from the rubble on Friday, 266 hours after the 7.9 magnitude quake hit.
The man was rescued in Mianzhu city, where he had been trapped under a collapsed pillar of his house. He had survived after being fed by his wife, the television report said.
topics:
World,
China,
International,
Asia,
Natural Disasters,
China Earthquake,
Rescue Operations
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