(Playfuls, Dec 25, 2006) Efforts to cap a gas leak in south-western China that has caused the evacuation of 12,000 people have failed, but authorities were planning another attempt, a news report said Monday.

Tons of earth were dumped into the well Sunday but failed to stop the leak, which broke out Thursday during the drilling of a gas well in Xuanhan county in Sichuan province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

After that unsuccessful attempt, experts were studying other alternatives to cap the leak in the county that is one of China's largest natural-gas sites and about 500 kilometres north-east of Chengdu, the provincial capital.

"About 300 cubic metres of mud was infused into the well in the first capping, but no effect was achieved," He Shenghou, deputy chief of the emergency headquarters at the site, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

People in eight villages around the site in Qingxi town were evacuated after the leak began, causing flames 20 to 30 metres high to erupt around the well and continue through Monday.

Emergency crews started fires at four sites about 100 metres from the leaking well to reduce the harmfulness of the gas, and local environmental officials said they had detected no harmful gases in the area, such as sulphuretted hydrogen or sulphur dioxide.

No casualties had been reported, said Yu Longhai, an official with Dazhou city government.

The residents who were evacuated were staying with relatives or in government meeting rooms, schools or broadcasting stations.

A gas leak three years ago in the neighbouring Chongqing municipality killed 193 people and caused more than 9,000 people to be treated in hospitals for gas poisoning. Drilling work also caused that accident, in which many residents were overcome in their sleep by highly poisonous gas.

Source:Playfuls