Thousands flee as China lake bank feared broken

By John Ruwitch and Jason Li

BEICHUAN, China (Reuters) - A Chinese county near the epicentre of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake was ordered to evacuate on Saturday amid fears a lake would burst its banks, prompting thousands to flee to the hills.

China put the total Sichuan quake death toll at 28,881 but has said it expects it to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can be found.

Forty-six seriously injured people were in "dire need of help" in Beichuan, where the official Xinhua news agency said earlier the water level was rising rapidly and "may burst its bank at any time".

A witness said by telephone the military was evacuating everyone in Beichuan, even rescue workers.

A Reuters journalist fled a place near the Beichuan Middle School, which President Hu Jintao visited on Friday. Soldiers were talking on the radio saying "all retreat" and there was a lot of dust in the air. The soldiers were leaving fast.

Hong Kong cable television said some 1.2 million people were being evacuated in Qingchuan, about 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Beichuan, as rising waters threatened to burst a lake's banks.

Both lakes were formed after landslides blocked river flows.

There has been growing concern about the safety of dams and reservoirs which have been weakened in the mountainous province of Sichuan, an area about the size of Spain.