China's Wen flies over "critical" quake lake

By Lindsay Beck

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made his third trip to the earthquake zone on Thursday to urge vigilance as a swelling "quake lake" threatens more havoc while the government seeks to focus on tough rebuilding efforts.

Troops have been trying to defuse threats from dozens of unstable lakes in the southwestern province of Sichuan formed after the May 12 quake triggered landslides that choked rivers, endangering hundreds of thousands of people downstream.

Historically, more than 90 percent of lakes formed by earthquakes burst when floods hit, Xinhua quoted Liu Ning, a leading engineer, as saying.

Water levels on the largest, Tangjiashan, rose 90 cm (35 inches) in 24 hours up to 5 p.m. Thursday, and there was a growing risk of the mounting water bursting through the natural dam of mud and rock, Xinhua said.

"Now it's a critical moment for the Tangjiashan quake lake, and the most important thing is to ensure there are no casualties," Wen was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

More than 250,000 people have been evacuated in Beichuan county and Mianyang city in line with a contingency plan.

In Jiangyou, troops checked evacuated towns door to door to make sure no villagers returned, Xinhua said.

An aftershock measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale hit Qingchuan county to the northeast on Thursday, it said. About 6,000 county residents were urgently evacuated to avoid the threat of landslides with heavy rain forecast.

Hanwang, one of the hardest-hit towns, was also evacuating thousands to safe ground as likely rain over the weekend raised fears of more landslides and the bursting of dams.

The quake killed 69,127 people with 17,918 more missing, according to the latest official figures.

More than 15 million residents have been displaced and tent cities have been going up across the ravaged region as the usually sweltering summer settles in, making life far from comfortable and raising fears of epidemics.

A "tent" court sentenced a resident of one quake-stricken village to seven and a half years in jail for stealing from toppled homes and shops, Xinhua reported.

SAFETY STANDARDS

The State Council, or cabinet, looked to the future, passing draft regulations on reconstruction, outlining requirements for resettlement sites and safety standards of public buildings, such as schools and hospitals.

The ruling Communist Party's Standing Committee -- its inner-circle of power -- ordered other provinces and cities to pitch in with long-term help for quake-hit areas, Xinhua reported.