New Express
May 22, 2008

The big image on the front page of today's New Express shows a check point guarded by mask-clad soldiers. The headline printed on top of the image reads "Beichuan Blocked".

The newspaper article says that roads leading to the town have been blocked and rescue work has been suspended since May 20. According to the article, some PLA troops who arrived to help with rescue operations were also denied entry.

Beichuan is one of the most devastated areas with 8,000 of its residents killed and more than 60 percent of buildings collapsed in the earthquake. The survivors have already been evacuated to nearby areas and the town will eventually be abandoned when the rescue ends.

As time goes by, the chances of finding survivors become increasingly slim and the government's priority has shifted to sterilization and preventing epidemics. Local authorities denounced a recent rumor that there is a outbreak of contagious disease in Beichuan, saying that everything is normal.

Apart from the fear of epidemic, there are also worries about potential flash flooding caused by the combination of damage to local dams, aftershocks, and the heavy precipitation predicted by the weather department over the next few days. The article confirmed that there were military helicopters hovering over a swelling "quake lake" near the town, possibly assessing it's risk of flooding.