Meanwhile, at the Hongguang Township in Qingchuan County, authorities are evacuating about 2,000 people downstream of the Qingzhu River as experts with the Sichuan land resources department warned of flooding risks.

Multiple landslides caused by the earthquake blocked parts of the river and formed a large stretch of water, which experts with said exceeded 10 million cubic meters.

More debris slides caused by aftershocks were likely to continue to push the water level up, experts said.

"If the water level rises by another two to three meters, it will overflow and threaten more than 2,000 people who are staying in shelters after the earthquake downstream," one of the experts said.

Water had already overflowed into the streets of a neighboring village in the Qianjin Township, he said.

Experts said the lake embankments were very loose after being shaken by the earthquake, which also heightened the risk of a burst.

"It the lake bursts, it will form at least a 40-kilometer water way, and the results will be grave," he warned.

Experts were considering plans to explode the river embankment to divert the water.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2008)