Jun

10

Aftershocks hit brimming China quake lake

Filed Under Natural Disasters | Posted By Jennifer Sullivan |

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Muddy lake water from a dangerously unstable “quake lake” rushed into the devastated Chinese town of Beichuan on Tuesday, covering about a third of the settlement where the water level was rising fast.

The Tangjiashan Lake, the largest of the more than 30 created when landslides blocked the flow of rivers, has forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 residents downstream in case the unstable dam of mud and rocks bursts.

Brown water, clumps of trees and occasional vehicles pushing against buildings were moving quickly into low-lying areas of the town, washing away remains of buildings, bodies and valuables left under the rubble.

The spokesman Zhou Hua said; the overall situation remains secure and the flows are within what we are expected. He added, the outflow is increasing day by day so we are urging people to avoid dangers and stay out of designated areas.

If the dam gives way it will create a floodwave that could threaten up to 1.3 million people downstream, many already forced from their homes by the quake.

The flooding brought more heartache to people displaced by the May 12 earthquake in which nearly 87,000 people either died or are missing. Many said goods and cash inside their homes were lost for good.

“It began flooding early this morning,” said shop assistant Zhu Yunhui, 37, who said she had kept many tens of thousands of yuan in her home. “Now we can never go back. This is heartbreaking.”

Over 250,000 have been moved as a precaution, often to encampments close to their homes or earlier camp sites.



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