Telecoms restored in China's quake-hit region

YILIANG - Mobile phone services in quake-hit areas in Southwest China's Yunnan Province have been basically restored, local authorities said Sunday.

Zhao Ning, deputy director of the provincial telecoms regulatory bureau, said phone services are almost back to normal following the repair of telecommunications facilities belonging to service providers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.

Ma Kui, general manager of the Yunnan branch of China Mobile, said 221 damaged telecom stations have been repaired, adding that the company has arranged for emergency telecom vehicles to bring service to areas where stations have yet to be repaired.

However, volatile weather and the area's rough terrain may result in inconsistent service over the next several days, Ma said.

Eighty-one people were killed after multiple earthquakes hit a mountainous area in Yunnan on Sept 7, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Sunday morning.