Chinese quake lake still rising

by stvalentine | June 9, 2008 at 08:44 am | 126 views | add comment

The water level in an earthquake-formed lake in China is still rising, despite the creation of a drainage channel.

By early Monday, the water level was more than 6 feet (2m) higher than the man-made channel created to ease the problem, Xinhua news agency said.

Soldiers are using anti-tank weapons to blast away rocks and mud preventing the water from getting to the channel.

Experts warn that the lake could burst at any time, flooding the homes of more than one million people.

About 250,000 people have already been evacuated from the area since the devastating 12 May earthquake, which caused Tangjiashan quake lake to form.

Latest government figures put the quake death toll at 69,136 with another 17,686 people missing.

Tangjiashan lake is the largest of more than 30 quake lakes created by last month's 7.9 magnitude tremor.