Rumours fly as China quake victims seek news

By Ben Blanchard

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - The rumours are flying thick and fast after Monday's quake in which more than 50,000 people may have died -- and so far they have all proved to be unfounded.

One says a dam has collapsed and will kill thousands. Another that a chemical factory has exploded. The main highways linking cities have been closed indefinitely, says another. And then there is the one that another huge earthquake is on the way.

All have been spread by word of mouth, online, by text message and telephone calls. With power out and mobile telephone communication patchy, the government has a new battle on its hands trying to control disinformation.

China's carefully controlled state media has swung into action, giving often live and sometimes dramatic accounts of the situation on the ground, in stark contrast to previous disasters where obfuscation and cover-ups were the norm.

But this has not stopped the flow of gossip, and complaints from people that they are being kept in the dark.

"There's not enough information," said Liu Kaimao, standing in a hospital in the city of Shifang, an hour's drive northeast of Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu.

"The government must tell us what's going on. Our demands are not high," he said, as a woman standing next to him nodded her head in agreement.

"What we most want to know is, will there be another earthquake, and how big will the aftershocks be? That's basic information we've not had," Liu added, before wandering off, shaking his head.