Forecast of a strong aftershock in southwest China's Sichuan Province late on Monday sent many people away from home overnight, a week after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the area that killed more than 34,000 people.

The local seismological bureau forecast on Monday night an aftershock between six to seven on the Richter scale was likely to rock Wenchuan county, about 159 kilometers from Chengdu and epicenter of last Monday's devastating quake, on Monday or Tuesday.

The bureau also told local governments and people to be prepared for emergencies.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2008)