China tries to restore calm after new quake report

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - China tried to restore calm in its southwestern city of Chengdu on Tuesday after tens of thousands of people rushed into the streets alarmed by a television prediction of another powerful earthquake.

That, added to fresh aftershocks and forecasts of heavy rain, have compounded difficulties for military, government and private workers trying to ensure food and housing for millions of homeless.

Residents of Chengdu, Sichuan province's capital, rushed out for open space before midnight on Monday, alarmed by the prediction of another earthquake after May 12's 7.9 magnitude tremor, which may have killed 50,000 people.

A few hours later, a 5-magnitude aftershock rattled windows in Chengdu and likely caused more landslides on the roads leading to Pingwu, the epicenter of the aftershock, where destroyed roads have hampered relief efforts.

But on Tuesday, provincial television broadcast interviews with a series of seismologic bureau officials to explain the prediction and calm a jangled populace.

"Just because you can feel aftershocks, it doesn't mean they will hurt you. Of course, that doesn't mean you should stand in harm's way," said Han Weiding, researcher with the local seismological bureau.

Seismologists say that earthquakes are very hard to predict.

The pandemonium showed how nerves have been stretched to breaking point by the earthquake and aftershocks, which have officially killed more than 34,000 people and injured 245,000.