China quake lake draining at critical stage, says prime minister
Updated
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said that efforts to drain a rising lake created by last month's devastating Sichuan earthquake have reached critical stage.
More than a million people downstream from the Tangjiashan quake lake have been warned to prepare for the worst.
Mr Wen's comments came after inspecting the area by helicopter.
Officials have pinned their hopes on a channel dug by soldiers last week and designed to drain enough water to keep the lake from bursting its banks.
An estimated 1.3 million people live in areas that could be inundated if the plan does not work.
