Lucy Hornby reports for Reuters, via reliefweb.int:
A devastating earthquake that struck China this week has raised concerns over the stability of dams and infrastructure in the afflicted mountainous area, while landslides have blocked a river that flows to the region.
More than 13,000 people have been confirmed dead and at least the same number remain missing or buried by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which struck to the northwest of Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu on Monday.
Heavy rains could compound the damage by hindering rescue work, triggering mudslides and adding to pressure on weakened dams, officials and state media said on Wednesday.
The official death toll has now been raised to almost 15,000, with at least 25,000 still trapped in the rubble. From Bloomberg:
Ambulances and double-decker buses packed with rescue workers streamed along the main highway from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, to Dujiangyan, the center of relief operations. The 7.9-magnitude quake two days ago killed at least 14,866 people, according to state-run China Central Television.
About 100,000 relief workers, including soldiers, police and medical teams, are working in the affected areas, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said on state television. More troops arrived in Wenchuan, a city of 118,000 about 42 kilometers (26 miles) from the epicenter and along the highway from Dujiangyan.
The Telegraph reports on efforts to block up cracks in a dam upriver of a devastated town:
The official Xinhua news agency said that 2,000 troops had been sent to work on the Zipingku Dam, just north of the provincial capital of Chengdu.
The new criss comes as rescue workers are struggling to reach nearly 60,000 people who remain missing near the epicentre of the Sichuan earthquake, prompting fears that the death toll will continue to soar.
This video from The Telegraph is about rescue efforts:
See also “Facts and figures about China quake and relief” from Xinhua.
