589 dead as strong quake jolts SW China

Latest updated 3:57 pm, Wednesday

Villagers buried

More than 50 people in Ganjiazhai village in Ludian county, were buried by a landslide triggered by the earthquake, according to the Beijing News.

Soldiers have been dispatched to assist with the search and rescue mission. The remaining 100 villagers have been transferred.

Cause for surge in death toll

Death toll has risen sharply mainly because some villages were buried underneath the massive rubble caused by the earthquake with poor communications and road blocks adding difficulties to the rescue, according to xinhuanet.com.cn.

Plus, as there were migrants among the victims, the verification process took more time.

Landslide hits village

A quake-triggered landslide saw Wangjiapo village in Ludian county drop from 1,000 meters to 400 m and rescuers are yet to reach the zone, Caijing.com.cn reported.

Barrier lake poses new danger

The earthquake triggered landslides in Longtoushan town in Ludian county, blocking the Niulan River and turning it into a barrier lake, in turn putting residents along the banks in danger, Caijing.com.cn reported.

A huge barrier lake was formed in Huize, a neighboring county to the southwest of Ludian. Its water level was increasing at a speed of 8.4 cm per hour, with the dyke set to breach at 42.9 meters, Xinhua reported on its Sina Weibo account.

2,800 wounded treated

Figures from the National Health and Family Planning Commission showed that 2,833 people injured in the devastating 6.5-magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Yunnan Province have been treated as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, with 1,295 being hospitalized.

Risks loom over a growing barrier lake

A growing barrier lake with a water volume of 49.6 million cubic meters has led to evacuation of 4,200 residents living on the lower reaches of the Niulan River, located near the junction of Ludian and Qiaojia.

Sun Huaikun, who is in charge of the barrier lake response, said a reservoir on the upper reaches is intercepting river water to reduce pressure on the lake, while two hydropower stations on the lower reaches are speeding up the discharge of water.

Key Points A 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled southwest China's Yunnan province at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The epicenter is in Longtoushan Township, 23 km southwest of the county seat of Ludian, in Zhaotong city. More than 12,000 houses have been toppled and 30,000 damaged in the quake zone. 1.08 million affected. At least 589 people dead, 9 missing and 2,401 injured Many of the homes that collapsed in Ludian, which has a population of about 429,000, were old and made of brick.

Photos: Quake baby; Rescue continues

Video

589 killed

Death toll from the 6.5-magnitude earthquake has mounted to 589 as of 10:30 am on Wednesday, China News Service reported. And other nine people are reported missing.

Of the victims, 504 come from Ludian county, 72 from Qiaojia county, 1 from Zhaoyang disctrict and 12 from Huize county.

Satellite Service

China has mobilized four satellites to work in the quake-stricken zone in Southwest China's Yunnan province, detecting and providing image data to support the rescue work.

25 stranded

Twenty-five soldiers are stranded near a barrier lake due to landslides, PLA Daily reported.

410 killed

Death toll has mounted to 410 as of 3:30 pm on Tuesday, China News Service reported.

One solider missing

One solider went missing during the rescue mission, China National Radio reported. Xie Jiao was hit by falling mountain rocks while swimming across a river to evacuate villagers and disappeared in the water.

407 killed

Death toll rose to 407, China News Service reported.

Traffic

Traffic is restored on most roads in the quake-hit zone, according the Ministry of Public Security.

40 die in collapsed building

Forty migrant workers were killed when a two-storey, clay-and-brick building collapsed in Ludian, Yunnan province, according to local villagers.

One reason for the high number of deaths is that buildings in Ludian are made mostly from clay, bricks and wood, creating houses with a low earthquake resistance.

Barrier lakes pose new threat

Landslides have created barrier lakes where water levels were rising Tuesday in quake-hit Ludian county, posing a new threat to about 800 residents and seven power stations downstream.

A main road into the worst-hit areas of Ludian was clogged Tuesday with bulldozers, backhoes and civilian and military vehicles carrying supplies including water and instant noodles.

Chinese army, armed police aid relief

Some 10,000 troops pooled from the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s Chengdu, Beijing Military Area Command, the air force, the second artillery force and the armed police are joining forces with local rescuers in Ludian, Qiaojia and Huize counties, said a statement from the Chengdu Military Area Command's quake relief headquarters.

By Tuesday morning, PLA troops and armed police officers had rescued more than 200 people from the rubble, transferring 500 people injured during the earthquake to nearby hospitals. In addition, they have helped resettle more than 10,000 local residents, the statement said.

Power restored

Electricity had been restored to 78.8 percent of households in the quake-hit area in Ludian county, Southwest China’s Yunnan province as of 9am Tuesday, Yunnan Power Grid said.

The province sent 1,394 personnel and 190 engineering rescue vehicles to repair electric cables after the quake rocked the county on Sunday.

Li says govt will cover medical expenses

"Don't worry about money. The government will shoulder the expenses, including medical care and accommodation," Premier Li Keqiang told patients during a visit to a hospital in quake-leveled Ludian county, Yunnan province, on Tuesday morning.

Survivors' accounts

• Man rescued after 20 hours in quake rubble
• Face to face with death
• Mother carries injured son to hospital barefoot

Condolences for quake victims from leaders worldwide

Leaders worldwide have expressed their condolences for the victims in the earthquake and voiced their support for the country's disaster relief effort.

People injured from Ludian quake saved by seconds

Early warning system helps residents near quake epicenter escape death

High school student Geng Fangdong was doing his homework in Zhaoyang district of Zhaotong, Yunnan province, on Sunday afternoon when his cellphone started beeping.

First insurance claim

The first auto insurance claim has been compensated in earthquake-hit Yunnan province by China's Ping An Insurance, which is also the fist insurance payouts in the industry after the 6.5-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc in the region, China Securities Journal reported on Monday.

The car owner got a compensation of 9,600 yuan soon after the claim was dealt with, as of which the company received a total of eight auto insurance claims.

Relief materials

China's central government on Monday sent tens of thousands of tents, quilts and other disaster-relief materials to southwest China's earthquake-hit Yunnan Province.

About 33,000 tents, 10,000 quilts, 60,000 cotton coats, 10,000 folding beds, 10,000 sleeping bags, 5,000 sets of folding chairs and tables as well as 50 mobile toilets have been dispatched to the areas affected by the quake, said a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Rescue

The Chengdu Military Area Command has dispatched six helicopters and deployed more than 4,000 servicemen and paramilitary reserve forces to the quake zone.

Relief

Chinese central government has appropriated 600 million ($97m) as relief fund to the Zhaotong earthquake.

China's central government on Monday sent tens of thousands of tents, quilts and other disaster-relief materials to southwest China's earthquake-hit Yunnan Province.

About 33,000 tents, 10,000 quilts, 60,000 cotton coats, 10,000 folding beds, 10,000 sleeping bags, 5,000 sets of folding chairs and tables as well as 50 mobile toilets have been dispatched to the areas affected by the quake, said a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

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