China seals off quake town over epidemic fears: report

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

BEIJING (AFP) — One of the towns worst hit in last month's devastating China earthquake has been sealed off to prevent epidemics from spreading, after having been opened just briefly, state media said on Saturday.

More than 600 police officers have been posted around southwest China's Beichuan town, which was nearly flattened in the May 12 quake, to prevent anyone from entering, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tan Jiamin, Beichuan county's head of police, said the empty city would remain closed down for "a long time" because the rising temperatures increased the risk of epidemics, according to Xinhua.

Beichuan, a town of about 12,000 which lost half its residents in the disaster according to Xinhua, was reopened only recently.

The move was to allow...