Chinese President Xi Jinping orders all-out efforts to help victims of Sichuan quake

BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to organise relief work and rescue operations for the injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Sichuan province on Monday (June 17) night.

The quake struck Yibin's Changning county at 10.55pm, killing 13 and injuring 199, including six who were still in critical condition as of 4pm on Tuesday, the provincial Bureau of Emergency Management said.

Most of the deaths were the result of collapsing homes, rescuers said. So far, 14 people have been rescued from the debris. More than 140,000 people have been affected by the quake. The temblor damaged homes and roads, and interrupted power and communication services.

Heavy rains may take place over the next several days in the earthquake zone, which may affect emergency rescue efforts, the China Meteorological Administration said on Tuesday.

The disaster has drawn national attention, with President Xi focusing on rescue work and providing instructions. He said relief and rescue efforts were the highest priorities, along with preventing further deaths or injuries.

Mr Xi said the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force should support and assist the efforts of local governments. Related departments should strengthen earthquake monitoring to prevent secondary disasters, restore water and power supplies, and get transportation and telecommunication up and running as soon as possible.

It was important to resettle people affected by the quake in safe areas, he added.

China has entered its rainy season, a time when downpours frequently occur in parts of the country, causing floods and landslides as well as casualties and property damage.

Mr Xi asked leaders of the Communist Party of China and officials in affected areas to firmly establish a people-centred approach and actively organise flood control and relief efforts to safeguard lives and property.

Premier Li Keqiang also instructed various departments to verify the disaster situation, do their utmost to rescue people, repair damaged transport and telecommunications infrastructure, publish timely updates and maintain social order in the quake zone.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has activated an emergency response and sent work teams to stricken areas to provide guidance.

The National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 50 million yuan (S$10 million) to support emergency rescue and infrastructure construction.

The quake rocked Yibin, and people in nearby cities, including Chengdu and Chongqing, felt the temblor. A series of aftershocks have been measured, including one of magnitude 5.1.

IT worker Wei Lai, 25, from Chengdu - 260km from the epicentre - was in bed on the fifth floor of an apartment building when the quake struck. "I felt the bed shake violently twice in less than a minute. I was terrified and was in panic even after the shaking stopped."

The earthquake and its aftershocks have affected some railway operations, including in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and Chongqing, where services were delayed or cancelled, said China Railway. Operations at Chengdu's airport were not affected.

Sixty-one seconds before seismic waves generated by the quake reached Chengdu from Changning, some residents received an early warning. Such early warnings are designed to help provide people with an opportunity to move quickly to safety before being hit, said senior research fellow Chen Huizhong at the China Earthquake Administration's Institute of Geophysics.

A man in Yibin surnamed Chen was playing mahjong when the quake struck. He rushed home and took his wife and daughter to a public square. "My daughter was very calm and ran down very fast," Mr Chen was quoted as saying by Red Star News. "She and other students had learnt in school how to respond to earthquakes."