A second strong aftershock rumbled through China's devastated earthquake zone early Sunday, hours after reports of a swollen river sent thousands of people in Sichuan province fleeing for higher ground.
The aftershock shook the area for about 45 seconds early Sunday local time, causing people to run out into the streets, reports said. Measured at 5.7 magnitude, it was the second strong aftershock to rattle the area in as many days.
In the Sichuan province city of Beichuan, thousands of residents and relief workers fled for higher ground on Saturday after reports said a river may burst its banks and flood the area.
Some rivers in the region have become blocked by landslides rattled loose in last Monday's 7.9-magnitude quake.
The official Xinhua News Agency said earlier that a lake in Beichuan county "may burst its bank at any time," but did not give details on why the water was rising.
In response, soldiers carried older people out of the city of Beichuan, one of the hardest-hit areas, while survivors cradled babies on a road jammed with vehicles and people.Rescue team members take a break on Saturday after searching for earthquake survivors in Beichuan county, in southwest China. (Andy Wong/Associated Press)
Rescue efforts in the region resumed hours later and a local relief worker later suggested the reports of looming floods might have been false. An official Chinese government website also called the reports a "false alarm."
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