Olympic torch finishes China earthquake zone tour

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The torch was carried through eight miles of an industrial part of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, rather than a more historic section of the city which houses Tibetan communities.

Sichuan, where a powerful magnitude-7.9 quake flattened towns in May, was the last stop for the Olympic flame before it heads to Beijing for Friday's opening ceremony. The segment had originally been scheduled for mid-June but was postponed to support disaster-relief efforts.

More than 69,000 people were killed and some 5 million were left homeless in the earthquake.

Tuesday's route change was due to safety concerns, according to an official with the Chengdu Public Security Bureau who only gave his surname, Wang, as is common with Chinese officials.

"The city has some of the worst congestion in China. We were worried there would be traffic difficulties and also that the crowds would be too large," Wang said.

China was taking no chances with security after deadly anti-government riots broke out in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in March, protests in neighboring provinces like Sichuan and disruptions by pro-Tibet activists during the torch relay overseas.

Busloads of police officers and troops with riot shields and helmets lined the route Tuesday. Security checkpoints were set up for spectators. Near Wuhouci temple in the older section of Chengdu, a road leading to a Tibetan area including the office of Tibet's government was heavily guarded by police armed with guns that fire tear gas.

The relay, which like all other stops in Sichuan began with a minute of silence to honor the quake victims, ended without incident. Crowds selected by the local government cheered with gusto and waved Chinese flags and Olympic banners.

On Monday, in a fanfare-filled ceremony that included dancers and bursts of confetti, the Olympic torch was paraded around a stadium that only weeks ago was filled with earthquake survivors.

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