News Story

04 July 2008 23:12 BST

China quake survivors flee 'aftershocks'

Tuesday, 20 May 2008 19:42

Tens of thousands of people flee their homes in Chengdu, China, after fresh earthquake warnings

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Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Chengdu, China, after seismologists warned of aftershocks following last week's devastating earthquake.

People left their homes at midnight on Monday and slept in parks and public spaces following the six to seven magnitude aftershock warning.

"The Sichuan seismological bureau said there was a bigger possibility of the aftershock between Monday and Tuesday, warning local government and people to be prepared for emergencies," state news agency Xinhua said.

Government officials later appeared on state television to assure residents the aftershocks were unlikely to cause widespread damage and urged people to remain calm.

At least 39,577 people have died following last Monday's 7.9-magnitude quake, the epicentre of which was at Wenchuan, 90km from provincial capital Chengdu.

But officials, who said 10.8 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) had been raised for relief efforts, are warning the death-toll could exceed 50,000, with thousands of bodies thought to be trapped under the rubble across Sichuan.

On Monday there was a rare ray of hope for rescuers when a business executive was pulled from the wreckage of a power plant in Wenchuan after spending 179 hours buried.

Ma Yuanjiang, 31, is likely to be the last survivor rescued however, with aid workers facing the grim task of pulling decomposing corpses out of ruined buildings over the coming weeks. End of story

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