One dead, 260 injured in earthquake aftershock

A Chinese news agency has reported that an aftershock has killed one person and injured 260 others in Sichuan province.

The government-run China News Service said today that 24 of the injured are in serious condition.

The aftershock was felt in Beijing and is one of the strongest to hit Sichuan since the May 12 earthquake.

Earlier it was announced that nearly 70 dams damaged by the earthquake were in danger of bursting.

New fears over the dams came as looming rains added to worries about relief efforts for millions of homeless survivors.

At a news conference today Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin confirmed the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 62,664, with another 23,775 people missing,

Premier Wen Jiabao has said the number of dead could surpass 80,000.

The Water Resources Ministry said in a statement that 69 dams in central Sichuan province were in danger of collapse.

The government had earlier said some 391 dams had been affected by the quake, mostly small structures.

Sichuan is home to the world’s largest water project, the Three Gorges dam located about 350 miles east of the epicentre, which authorities have said was not damaged in the quake.

Meanwhile, the State Meteorological Bureau said that parts of Sichuan would suffer “heavy and even in some areas torrential rains” later today and tomorrow, warning of possible mudslides.