Hundreds die in China quake
The Australian-
THE death toll from the Yunnan earthquake is expected to rise significantly as China mounts an enormous effort to rescue more than 1800 ...
China Correspondent
Beijing
THE death toll from the Yunnan earthquake is expected to rise
significantly as China mounts an enormous effort to rescue more than
1800 injured survivors amid aftershocks.
The quake, which measured magnitude 6.1, had claimed at least 398
lives last night, a day after it struck the Zhaotong prefecture about
370km northeast of Yunnan province’s capital, Kunming. About 12,000
homes collapsed.China’s President Xi Jinping declared an emergency situation as more than 2500 soldiers, doctors and paramedical workers were dispatched to the region in China’s south.
Ma Yaoqi, an 18-year-old volunteer in the quake zone, said at least half of the buildings had collapsed on the road from the city centre of Zhaotong to the hardest hit town of Longtou.
The rest of the buildings were damaged, she said.
“I saw dead bodies being wrapped in quilts and carried away,” said Ms Ma, who had arrived with 20 other volunteers yesterday. “Some were wrapped with small quilts. Those must be kids.”
Overhead footage of the quake zone shot by state broadcaster CCTV showed older houses flattened but newer multistorey buildings still standing.
Rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the area last night, complicating efforts to bring tents, water, food and other relief supplies to survivors. Roads had caved in, and rescuers were forced to travel on foot.
Repeated aftershocks were making the rescue work dangerous. The US Geological Survey showed four aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 and higher hitting after the initial quake.
Many of the homes that collapsed in Ludian, which has a population of about 429,000, were old and made of brick, official Chinese news agency Xinhua said, adding that electricity and telecommunications were cut off in the county.
The mountainous region where the quake occurred is largely agricultural, with farming and mining the top industries, and is prone to earthquakes. But CCTV said the quake was the strongest to hit Yunnan in 14 years.
China has been criticised in the past for responding slowly to natural disasters, especially the Sichuan earthquake in 2009 that killed nearly 70,000 people.
Xinhua said Mr Xi and Premier Li Keqiang were determined the government would respond quickly to the disaster.
“He (Li) called for all-out efforts in relief operation and strengthening aftershock monitoring to prevent secondary disasters,” Xinhua said.
“Premier Li Keqiang also made instructions for disaster relief, urging local authorities to try every possible means to save the injured people and those buried in rubble.
“In addition, Li called for ensuring unblocked telecommunication and transport of relief supplies and staff. Social order in the quake zone should also be maintained.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered “his condolences to the Chinese government and the families of those killed”, according to a statement from his office. The statement said the UN was ready to “lend its assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs” and “to mobilise any international support needed”.
The White House also offered its condolences.
In 1970, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killed at least 15,000 people, and a magnitude 7.1 quake in the province killed more than 1400 in 1974. In September 2012, 81 people died and 821 were injured in a series of quakes in the Yunnan region.
In May 2008, a powerful quake in Sichuan province left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing.
Additional reporting: AP
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