Quake flooding threat causes evacuation

HANZHONG, China, May 31 (UPI) -- Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in China due to the threat of flooding from damage caused by this month's earthquake, officials said.

The BBC reported the mass evacuation around the city of Mianyang in China's Sichuan Province was due to potential flooding from a lake formed by the May 12 earthquake.

While troops are attempting to redirect water in the new lake by creating diversion channels, there is concern the dam holding back the rising waters could soon burst.

The BBC said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, a total of 197,477 people have already been moved to higher ground in preparation for such a structural failure.

The broadcaster reported that 17,974 people are still missing following the deadly earthquake, which killed 68,977 people and created more than 30 lakes throughout the area.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Hu Jintao led earthquake relief efforts Saturday in Shaanxi Province, where a powerful aftershock destroyed 860 houses, state media said.

The official Xinhua news agency said Hu arrived in the remote northwestern China province Saturday morning and visited Shaanxi's capital of Hanzhong, which was rocked Tuesday by a powerful magnitude 5.7 aftershock.