Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter yesterday, fearful of floods from rivers blocked by landslides rattled loose in this week’s powerful temblor.
Soldiers carried older people out of Beichuan Town — one of the areas hit hardest by the magnitude 7.9 quake, whose confirmed death toll jumped to nearly 29,000 — while survivors cradled babies on a road jammed with vehicles and people.
A policeman said that rescue officials were worried water from a choked river would inundate the town.
“The river was jammed up by a landslide; now that may burst. That is what we are worried about,” the policeman said as he hurried by, not giving his name.
“I’m very scared. I heard that the water will be crashing down here,” said Liang Xiao, one of the people fleeing. “If that happens, there will be over 10m of water over our heads.”
Xinhua news Agency said earlier that a lake in Beichuan County “may burst its bank at any time.”
Residents left for higher ground, but 46 seriously injured were still at risk, the agency said.
Further north, a mountain sheared off by the quake cut the Qingzhu River and covered three villages in a valley near Qingchuan.
No traces remained of the villages, swallowed up by a huge mound of earth, behind which water from the river was backing up.
Xinhua said more than 2,000 people were evacuated from near that area.
The confirmed death toll rose yesterday to 28,881, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin (郭衛民) said. The government has previously said at least 50,000 people were believed killed in the disaster.
More than 10,600 people remained buried in Sichuan Province, the regional government said, according to Xinhua.
Survivors were still being found under destroyed buildings five days after the quake, as the rescue operation grew to 148,000 soldiers and police.
Rescue teams from South Korea, Singapore and Russia began work yesterday, joining Japanese specialists.
Taiwan, which accounts for more than half of the global outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing market, is well-positioned to develop copackaged optics (CPO) and manufacture precision silicon photonics chips, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Silicon photonics are emerging as a mainstream optical communications technology and is seen as key to overcoming bottlenecks in AI computing power. The technology is a key project under the government’s New 10 Major AI Infrastructure Projects, with industry, government, academia and research institutions working to overcome critical technological hurdles and build a self-reliant silicon photonics supply chain, the ministry said. Nvidia Corp in March invested US$4
The air force plans to build 26 more hardened aircraft shelters as the number of F-16Vs stationed along Taiwan’s east coast is expected to reach 120 when the final shipment of 66 jets procured from the US arrives. The incoming jets would be stationed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County, augmenting the F-16V Block 20s operated by the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing in Hualien County, officials said yesterday. The air force plans to allocate more than NT$6.88 billion (US$218.1 million) from next year to 2031 to build the shelters in Hualien and Taitung as part of the implementation of a “one
NO LIMITS: More legislation expanding Beijing’s control over the movement of people, money and information raises risks for Taiwanese travelers and businesses, officials said China is set to implement several laws in the coming months that expand the definition of national security, creating greater risks for Taiwanese traveling to or doing business in China, Taiwanese officials said yesterday. Beijing’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law took effect on July 1, while a draft “Internet Information Service Management Measures” finished its public consultation on Aug. 2, but has yet to be adopted. China’s Regulations of the State Council on Exit and Entry Administration are to take effect on Tuesday next week, while amendments to its National Defense Mobilization Law and the Ministry of Public Security’s Measures
China’s continued efforts to inject geopolitical rivalry into the region and disrupt Pacific nations’ discussions of regional issues warrant greater international attention, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) last week led a delegation to diplomatic ally Palau to attend events related to the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit. However, the absence of some member-state leaders has been interpreted by some people as a sign of fracturing in Pacific unity. Thirteen PIF members were represented by their heads of state or government, while Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Samoa sent ministerial-level representatives, a diplomatic official
RSS