CHINA:CHINESE SOLDIERS prepared to dynamite reservoirs and lakes that have backed up to form dangerous "quake lakes" yesterday to stop them bursting their banks and adding to the woes of rescuers working downstream, two weeks after the Sichuan earthquake tore through the southwestern Chinese province.
The confirmed death toll from the magnitude 7.9 earthquake rose to 65,080, with 23,150 people still missing, according to government data, with the final number of dead expected to exceed 80,000.
In the heart of the earthquake zone, 1,800 soldiers arrived on foot at the newly formed Tangjiashan lake in the devastated area of Beichuan, each carrying 10kg of explosive to try and blow a way through the rubble, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The area of Beichuan, which was largely destroyed by China's worst quake in 30 years, has been evacuated downstream of the quake lake.
All around the quake zone, lakes formed by debris and landslides from the quake are backing up, and there are fears that the impending rainy season could wreak further havoc on relief efforts.
People are still unwilling to venture back, as aftershocks continue to rock the zone. A strong shock on Sunday killed at least six people. The government has asked the international community to provide more relief aid, saying more than three million tents are needed and just 400,000 have so far reached the disaster zone.
And again the focus has been on the impact on children. The quake left 5,498 orphans or those still seeking their parents, the civil affairs ministry reported.
There are signs the government is preparing to loosen the One Child Policy, which restricts the number of children people can have to a single child, in the quake area following the death of so many children in May 12th's quake.
The Chengdu Population and Family Planning Committee announced that families whose child was killed, severely injured or disabled in the quake can get a certificate allowing them to have another child.
The fact that so many children died in school has prompted an inquiry into school design, and into whether corner-cutting by unscrupulous developers contributed to the disaster.
The quake has also hit conservation efforts for China's national symbol, the panda. There was some good news for the furry beasts today when Xinhua reported that one of two pandas missing since the earthquake was recovered yesterday.