Strong aftershocks from the May 12 quake in southwest China's Sichuan Province may continue, but the possibility of a 6.5-magnitude quake or greater is slim, Xinhua quoted the National Wenchuan Earthquake Expert Committee as saying at a press conference. The quake has caused about 12,000 quake-related geological disasters, and there were still 8,700 sites where more might occur. In addition, more than 30 quake lakes are in danger, the committee said. As of Monday noon, 112 days after the deadly quake, the country's seismograph network had recorded up to 27,000 aftershocks. Eight were greater than 6.0 magnitude with 39 above 5.0 magnitude, said committee director Ma Zongjin. The strongest aftershock, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, happened in Qingchuan County, one of the worst-hit areas in Sichuan, on May 25. Two people died and more than 480 were injured. Many geological disasters such as landslides and mud-rock flows occurred, the result of the strong magnitude and intensity of the quake, Ma said. The committee also confirmed there were 51 hard-hit areas in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces occupying more than 130,000 square km. The appraisal was made in accordance with the area's quake casualty numbers and average quake intensity. Of all the areas badly hit, 39 were in Sichuan, eight in Gansu and four in Shaanxi. "The May 12 quake was a warning call for the country to make greater efforts on disaster prevention and relief work," Ma said. The 8.0-magnitude quake centered in Sichuan's Wenchuan County killed about 70,000 people and had left more than 18,000 missing as of mid July.
