Edward Cody reports in the Washington Post:
Landslides caused by last week’s earthquake in central China have backed up rivers into more than 30 new lakes, threatening to flood downstream communities if the mud gives way under building pressure, Chinese officials warned Thursday.
Officials also announced that the known death toll from the massive quake had increased nearly 25 percent, to 51,151 people. More than 29,000 others are listed as missing, and 288,431 are known to be injured.
Flooding poses a danger to a zone where nearly a million people live, including many who have fled towns and villages destroyed by the May 12 tremor and taken up residence in mushrooming tent cities, according to Yun Xiaosu, deputy minister of land and resources.
Please watch the new video of the earthquake in Beichuan at here.
