(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-20 21:46

CHENGDU  -- People in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, have become accustomed to gathering in the middle of the road after anything unusual, hoping to improve their chance of survival in case of a major aftershock.

So far, 7,000-strong aftershocks have hit southwest China since last Monday's 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

A forecast of a strong aftershock in Sichuan Province late on Monday prompted panic among the local residents as well as in the neighboring Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou Province. STRONG AFTERSHOCK FORECAST

The provincial seismological bureau in Sichuan forecast on Monday night that an aftershock between six to seven on the Richter scale was likely to rock Wenchuan County, about 159 kilometers from Chengdu and epicenter of last Monday's devastating quake, on Monday or Tuesday, and warned local governments and people to be prepared for emergencies.

However, the aftershock was forecast to only rock the Longmenshan fault zone that includes the worst quake-hit regions of Lixian, Wenchuan, Maoxian, Beichuan, Pingwu and Qingchuan, while Chengdu and other regions were unlikely to suffer major damages, said Cheng Wanzheng, a research fellow with the seismological bureau.

The aftershock warning came a week after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake  that killed more than 40,000 people. The final death toll was expected to reach 50,000. SOUTHWEST CHINA IN PANIC

The forecast, which was repeated via TV and radio in Sichuan, sent many citizens in the provincial capital Chengdu away from home. Private cars trying to get out of the city center packed urban roads between Monday night and Tuesday morning. The congestion was worsened by vehicles that lined up in front of gasoline stations waiting to fill up their tanks.

   1 2 3   

   1 2 3