High alert at quake lake

AFTERSHOCKS continued to threaten the stability of a swollen “quake lake” in south-west China, amid urgent efforts to drain its rising waters to prevent a flood downstream.

A 5.0-magnitude aftershock rattled the area of quake-devastated Sichuan province where the lake is located yesterday, US seismologists reported. An aftershock of the same strength struck the region on Sunday.

A local official in the city of Mianyang, located not far from the Tangjiashan lake, said the aftershocks had so far not had any impact on the unstable body of water.