Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C Back) presides over the 19th meeting of the quake relief headquarters of the State Council (Cabinet) in Beijing, capital of China, June 16, 2008. The meeting focused on the prevention of secondary disasters of quake. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Prevention of secondary disasters, such as landslides and mud-rock flows, amid rain storms and frequent aftershocks following the May 12 earthquake was an "urgent task", said the quake relief headquarters of China's State Council on Monday.
"New geological disasters can happen at any time due to the long-lasting aftershocks and much stronger precipitation as the country's rivers enter the flooding season," the headquarters warned after a meeting presided by Premier Wen Jiabao.
The quake zone and the rain-lashed southern regions are the focuses of the prevention work, according to the meeting.
Work must be sped up to remove the dangers of quake-formed lakes, quake-damaged dams and hydropower plants as well as dikes of major rivers, the headquarters said.
The headquarters urged local governments and related departments to strengthen monitoring and alarms of rains, floods and aftershocks, and told quake-hit regions to base their recovery plans on geological hazard assessment.
Up to 50,000 residents were asked last week to move from highly-dangerous terrain in Wenchuan, epicenter of the May 12 earthquake, to shelters built on open and solid ground before June30 to avoid secondary disasters.
As of Monday noon, 12,437 aftershocks had been detected since the 8.0-magnitude quake struck southwest Sichuan Province, official figures show.
By Sunday, at least 57 people had been killed and 1.27 million people relocated as rainstorms and floods ravaged nine provinces and region in south China.
CHENGDU, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Up to 50,000 residents must move from highly-dangerous terrain in Wenchuan, epicenter of the May 12 earthquake, to shelters built on open and solid ground before June 30 to avoid secondary disasters.
On Sunday, the first group of 3,000 farmers from Longxi Township were evacuated to live in 600 tents erected on open ground near Banqiao Village in Mianchi, a township not far away. Full story
BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of China's massive earthquake reported no increase from Saturday's figure, freezing at 69,170 as of Monday noon, the State Council Information Office said.
The number of the injured also remained unchanged at 374,159 and people reported missing dropped by one to 17,426 after the 8.0-magnitude quake rocked southwestern Sichuan Province and neighboring regions on May 12. Full story
BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao called on the China Welfare Institute (CWI) to contribute more to relief work for survivors of last month's massive earthquake in Sichuan Province, in his congratulatory letter marking the CWI's 70th anniversary.
The Shanghai-based organization marked seven decades of operation on Saturday. Senior leaders such as Hu and top political advisor Jia Qinglin sent congratulations to the celebration in Shanghai. Full story
