Over 120,000 affected by SW China quake

DEQEN, Yunnan - The lives of more than 120,000 people in a prefecture in Southwest China's Yunnan province have been affected by earthquakes that occurred last week.

The government of the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Deqen said on Monday that a 5.1-magnitude quake and a 5.9-magnitude quake that hit the province on August 28 and 31, respectively, have caused a direct economic loss of nearly 1.5 billion yuan ($240 million) and affected more than 120,000 people there.

According to statistics released by the government, as of 12 am on Monday, three people had been killed and 44 others injured in the counties of Shangri-La and Deqen, the worst-hit areas in the quakes.

Following the two quakes and 753 aftershocks in the prefecture, 596 houses there have collapsed, and 14,359 houses and more than 870 km of road have been damaged.

Quake and aftershock-triggered landslides have also suspended telecommunication, power and water supply in Deqen.

As of 7:30 p.m., all the injured people have received treatment in local hospitals, while more than 20,000 affected residents have been relocated to safe places.

According to the civil affairs bureau of Deqen, a 20-million-yuan disaster relief emergency fund will be dispatched to those affected areas.

As of 2 pm, 4,923 tents have been pitched to settle affected people. And nearly 10,000 cotton-padded quilts, more than 3,000 coats, 4,700 folding beds and 4,700 mattresses have been dispatched to local people. The bureau has also provided rice and noodles for the affected people.

Meanwhile, 393 tourists are still trapped in a scenic spot in Shangri-La County because the second 5.9-magnitude quake damaged the road leading away from the site. No injuries or fatalities have been reported so far.

Armed police are making efforts to repair the road. The local government said that the tourists have access to sufficient water and food, that they can be reached through telecommunication, and that they are expected to be rescued on Tuesday.