1.3 mln people ordered to evacuate for fear of lake bursting

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 05-30-2008 19:35

More than a million people have been told to evacuate the area downstream from the Tangjiashan barrier lake. The order to move to higher ground was given as fears rose of a major "quake lake" burst following flooding and strong aftershocks.

The aerial photo taken on May 26, 2008 shows the landslide mud that formed the Tangjiashan quake lake near Beichuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The  earthquake-induced lake is at risk of bursting and  threatening thousands of people downstream.  (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday drove water levels up in Tangjiashan lake, raising fears it would burst through the barrier caused by landslides in the earthquake.

Non-stop efforts continue to remove rock and mud of the barrier and cut a channel to release more water. The Ministry of Water Resource says the channel should be finished by Sunday.

Earlier on Friday, another 20,000 cubic meters of rock and mud had been removed from the barrier -- making a total of 89-thousand cubic meters.

46 engineering vehicles, including excavators and bulldozers, have been airlifted to the area.

But one point three million people in Mianyang have now been told to evacuated to higher ground to avoid the continuing danger of a massive burst in the lake's barrier.

The Sichuan provincial government says only seven of the 34 barrier lakes have been made safe.

Editor:Xiong Qu