No looting of relief goods in NW China's quake zone: official

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Rescuers search for possible survivors and useful articles of local people in Gyegu Town of quake-hit Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, northwest China's Qinghai Province, April 22, 2010. (Xinhua/Guo Lei)

YUSHU, Qinghai, April 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese official Thursday said there had been no looting of quake relief materials in northwestern province of Qinghai and the aid had been distributed to victims in a fair and transparent way.

Geng Yang, director of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, said sparse looting did happen in the early period of the distribution of the relief materials.

"But this has been promptly stopped by government," Geng said in response to some media reports which also said some individuals in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, hit by a 7.1-magnitude quake on April 14, stockpiled and sold the materials at high prices.

Geng said their own investigations did not discover the alleged misconduct.

A mother accompanies her child outside a tent in quake-hit Yushu County, northwest China's Qinghai Province, April 22, 2010. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

He also denied some reports that most tents were given to officials and government workers.

On the contrary, "it is mainly local officials and government employees who have yet received the tents. More than 90 percent of them haven't had the chance of going back home since the earthquake," he said.

Unlike some allegations that the bulk of the relief goods went to local Tibetans, the relief operation had been open and transparent, Geng said.

"The government helps all quake victims, regardless of their nationalities," he said.

Chinese President pledges all-out rebuilding efforts as concerted relief work continues

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Chinese President Hu Jintao(C)speaks to soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and policemen carrying out relief work at Zhaxike Village of Gyegu Town in quake-hit Yushu County,northwest China's Qinghai Province, April 18, 2010. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)



YUSHU, Qinghai, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao visited quake-hit Yushu in northwest China's Qinghai Province Sunday, vowing to help victims rebuild their homes as most of them now settle in tents with basic needs met.

The 7.1-magnitude quake, which struck the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu Wednesday morning, had left at least 1,706 dead, 256 missing and 12,128 injured, as of 10 a.m. Sunday.

THERE WILL BE NEW HOMES

In a morale-raising visit to quake-hit Yushu, Hu assured locals of new homes and schools and steadfast relief work.

"There will be new schools! There will be new homes!" Hu wrote in chalk on a blackboard in a makeshift classroom in a tent of orphaned students.

The president led the students in reading aloud the words he wrote on the blackboard.

The Yushu School for Orphans visited by Hu was the first one to resume classes. A total of 60 primary and middle school students and more than 10 teachers sang the national anthem before classes began at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The president also talked to an injured Tibetan man in a medical tent.

"The Party and the government care about all the victims of the quake. Doctors will give you meticulous treatment...The party and the government will help with a new home...You should have confidence and recover," Hu said as he held the injured man's hands.

The Tibetan man replied, "Thank you, General Secretary. Tashi Delek!" (Tashi Delek means good luck in Tibetan)

Hu's plane landed at Yushu's Batang Airport Sunday morning after an over-three-hour flight from Beijing.

The president, who returned to China Saturday from a shortened visit to Latin America, headed for worst-hit Gyegu Town in Yushu immediately after landing.

CONCERTED RELIEF EFFORTS CONTINUE

Chinese rescuers have saved a 68-year-old man who was trapped under earthquake rubble for 100 hours.

The old man was rescued at about 11 a.m. Sunday in Gyegu Town, Yushu, and his condition appeared stable, rescuers said. The man was later taken to hospital.

Rescuers had saved 17,000 trapped people and a total of 6,870 people had been pulled out from under the rubble of collapsed buildings, among whom 6,110 survived, Miao Chonggang, deputy head of the China Earthquake Administration's quake relief and emergency response department, told a press conference.

Miao said currently more than 15,000 rescuers, including over 11,000 from the People's Liberation Army and armed police, 2,800 firefighters and special police forces, and 1,500 earthquake and mine accident rescuers, are still searching for quake survivors in Yushu.

Chinese president pays silent tribute to quake victims

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Chinese national flag flies at half-mast to mourn for the victims of Yushu earthquake, in the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China. April 21, 2010. (Xinhua/Gong Lei)


BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday paid a silent tribute in Beijing to the victims of the earthquake in northwest China.

The other eight members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee also joined Hu to mourn the victims.

National flags flew at half-mast at government agencies in the Chinese capital on Wednesday and all public entertainment was suspended.

At Tian'anmen Square in downtown Beijing, thousands of people watched the national flag hoisted to full height and then lowered to half-mast at about 5:33 a.m..

The 7.1-magnitude quake that struck Yushu, northwest China's Qinghai Province, last week had left 2,064 dead and 175 people still missing as of Tuesday. The quake had also left 12,135 injured, of whom 1,434 were in serious condition.

China to mourn quake dead, public entertainment to be suspended

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Photo taken on April 19, 2010 shows a view of the quake-devastated Zhaxi Datong Village, in Gyegu Town, Yushu County, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Zhaxi Datong Village is the worst-hit area during the April 14 quake in Qinghai. It has been mostly razed to the ground and 120 of the total about 670 villagers here lost their lives. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)


BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese flag will be lowered to half-mast around the country and at embassies and consulates abroad Wednesday in a show of respect for those killed in the April 14 earthquake in Qinghai Province, the State Council ordered Tuesday.

Public entertainment would also be suspended Wednesday, the State Council, China's cabinet, said in an announcement.

Following the announcement, the Ministry of Culture issued an urgent circular, ordering administrative departments to strengthen supervision of entertainment venues and to punish those violating the rule.

Besides entertainment venues such as cinemas, theaters, karaoke bars, dance clubs and Internet cafes, website groups should also suspend all online services of music, games, comics, films and TV shows.

A 7.1-magnitude quake struck Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in southern Qinghai on April 14. It has left at least 2,064 people dead, 175 missing, and 12,135 injured by Tuesday.

Backgrounder: Recent major strong Backgrounder: Recent major strong earthquakes worldwide

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The following is a chronology of major strong quakes around the world since 1900:

On Jan. 31, 1906, an 8.8-magnitude quake struck the coasts of Ecuador and Colombia, killing nearly 1,000 people.

On April 18, 1906, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the coast of San Francisco, the United States, killing 3,000 to 6,000 people, leaving 225,000 others homeless.

On May 21, 1960, a 9.5-magnitude earthquake, the strongest afterquakes were first recorded in 1900, rocked Chile and killed 1,655 people.

On March 27, 1964, Alaska of the United States was hit by an 8.4-magnitude quake, which triggered a tsunami and caused casualties and damage.

On July 28, 1976, a 7.8-magnitude quake hit Tangshan in northern China, killing more than 240,000 people, injuring more than 160,000 others.

In 2001, two earthquakes measuring 7.6 and 6.6 struck El Salvador on Jan. 13 and Feb. 13, killing at least 1,279 and injuring more than 9,000.

On Dec. 26, 2004, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake occurred in the sea off Sumatra Island of Indonesia and led to a severe tsunami, killing over 220,000 in Indonesia and nearby countries.

On March 28, 2005, an 8.5-magnitude quake took place in the sea off Indonesia's Sumatra Island, causing heavy casualties and damage.

On May 12, 2008, an 8-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China's Wenchuan county, killing nearly 70,000 and leaving some 18,000 missing.

On Jan. 12, 2010, an 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook Haiti, causing some 270,000 deaths and 1,000,000 homeless. Many buildings including the headquarters of the UN mission in Haiti collapsed in the earthquake.

On Feb. 27, 2010, a powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 magnitude on the Richter scale struck southern Chile, killing at least 300 and triggering tsunamis as well as communications and power breakup in the region.

Backgrounder: Quake-hit Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in Qinghai Province

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A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Qinghai Province early on Wednesday, the China Earthquake Networks Center said. (Xinhua/Meng Lijing)


BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, northwest China's Qinghai Province, on Wednesday, leaving at least 67 people dead and many others buried under the debris.

The epicenter is about 50 km west of Jiegu Township, the government seat of the Yushu Prefecture, and about 800 km away from Xining, the provincial capital.

The prefecture, covering 267,000 square kilometers, has a population of more than 252,700 people, 97 percent of whom are Tibetans, and 21,700 people are farmers and herdsmen.

The prefecture, with an average altitude of 4,000 meters, is south to Mongolian-Tibetan-Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Haixi, west to Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Golog, northwest to Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze in Sichuan Province and north to Qamdo Prefecture and northeast to Nagqu Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region and southeast to Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayingolin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The gross domestic product of the prefecture reached more than 2.5 billion yuan (about 367.6 million U.S. dollars) in 2009.

The prefecture experienced a 5.0-magnitude earthquake on July 18, 2006 and a 5.6-magnitude quake on the second day, followed by a series of aftershocks. The epicenters were in sparsely populated pasturing area, and no casualties were reported.

Related:

At least 67 dead after 7.1-magnitude quake hits China's Qinghai

YUSHU, Qinghai, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 67 people died and many others were buried under the debris after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Qinghai Province early on Wednesday, the China Earthquake Administration said.

More than 85 percent of the houses in the Jiegu Township near the epicenter had collapsed, said Zhuohuaxia, a publicity official with the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, told Xinhua. Full story

Rescue teams, relief sent to quake-hit NW China

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Rescue teams from the central government and neighboring provinces have been sent to northwest China's Qinghai Province, hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake Wednesday morning.

A 15-member rescue team from the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) has been sent to Yushu, a Tibetan autonomous prefecture in western part of Qinghai, the CEA said in a statement to Xinhua. Full story