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Latest development: Qinghai earthquake

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-14 11:58

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Qinghai Province early on Wednesday. Following are the latest developments:

4,910 quake injured people treated

China's Health Ministry said Thursday the health sector had treated 4,910 people injured in the quake, among which 846 cases were severe as of 5 pm.

There was no outbreak of epidemic or public health incidents in the quake-hit area, according to the ministry. [23:25]

Hu cuts short Americas' tour for quake relief

President Hu Jintao has decided to cut short his planned tour of key South American nations and head home on Friday after the BRIC summit in Brazil, in order to help better direct disaster relief after a 7.1-magnitude quake struck Qinghai early Wednesday. [19:55]

Premier Wen arrives in quake-hit Yushu

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Yushu prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province Thursday afternoon after a three-hour flight. [19:00]

More than 1,000 saved in quake zone

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the armed police deployed to quake zone have saved more than 1,000 survivors from rubble in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Qinghai Province, an official with China Earthquake Administration said Thursday. [17:53]

Death toll rises to 617

The death toll has risen to 617 after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Qinghai Province early on Wednesday, rescuers said Thursday. [11:35]

Death toll rises to 589

The death toll of china's Qinghai 7.1-magnitude earthquake rose to 589 as of 1:20 am Thursday, according to the local quake-relief headquaters. [02:25]

Air China sends 3 planes to Qinghai for quake relief

Air China said late Wednesday it was to dispatch three planes to the nation's northwest quake-hit Qinghai Province for disaster relief.

One of the planes, which had been specially modified to cope with the plateau's high altitude conditions, would fly from Beijing to the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in Qinghai, whose airport is 3,950 meters above sea level.

The other two planes would fly from Chengdu, capital of the neighboring Sichuan Province, carrying badly needed rescuers and relief materials to Xining, capital of Qinghai. [23:20]

4600 army men arrives in Qinghai

4600 army men have been sent to the 7.1-earthquake-hit area in Qinghai to help with the relief and rescue work.

650 quake-affected people have been relocated and 73 were saved from rubbles in Yushu, the earthquake-hit venue. 40 bodies were found.

There helicopters on the way to the earthquake-stricken area, carrying emergency materials, and medical products. [22:00]

Vice Premier Hui Liangyu arrives in Qinghai

Hui Liangyu, Chinese vice premier arrived in Yushu on Wednesday night to direct rescue and relief work. [21:10]

Central gov't allocates 29.3m USD for quake relief

The Chinese government has allocated 200 million yuan (29.3 million U.S. dollars) from the central fiscal for disaster relief in quake-hit Qinghai Province, the Ministry of Finance said late Wednesday. [21:00]

More than 3600 injured sent to hospital

More than 3600 injured people are receiving medical treatment in hospital, and 980 others are in good shape, according to Shi Huajie, the rescue team leader in Yushu of Qinghai province on Wednesday night.

The quake-hit area is in bad need of medical treatment.

More than 400 people have been confirmed dead the toll number is expected to rise.

Local government gives all possible support to the rescue work, and survivors are generally under stable psychic statement. [18:40]

First rescue plane lands at Yushu airport

The first rescue plane that took off from Xining, capital city of northwestern Qinghai province, landed at Yushu airport about 3 pm, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the region on Wednesday morning, according to a CNR.cn report. The governor of the province, 15 seismologists, 23 medical staff and more than 60 firefighters were on board. The airport, far away from the quake's epicenter, remained open after the earthquake. [17:00]

About 30 buried in an ethnic school being rescued

Thirty to 40 people are buried under a collapsed four-story building in an ethnic normal school in Yushu prefecture, according to a CNR.cn report. Rescuers are making efforts to save their lives, but it has been slow going, a CNR.cn reporter at the scene said. [16:31]

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has deployed three planes to transport 100 rescuers and relief materials to the quake-hit Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in western China's Qinghai Province. The PLA air force has also ordered 1,500 of its airborne forces and 100 parachute troops to prepare to assist in rescue operations in the quake zone. [16:16]

Chinese Red Cross calls for quake donations

Red Cross Society of China urged people of all walks of life to donate money or materials for the victims in the quake-hit region of northwestern Qinghai province on Wednesday.

Donation methods were released on its official website: www.redcross.org.cn

A hot line was also provided: +86(10) 65139999. [16:15]

No casualties at Yushu Airport

Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) got in touch with Yushu Airport via a short wave radio station and learned that there were no casualties at the airport, CAAC reports.

A capacity evaluation was carried out at Yushu Airport, showing the airport's external power supply interruptions and cable communications are down. But other equipment and facilities are working smoothly and its own emergency power system is operating well.

Located at an average of 3950 metres above sea-level, Yushu Airport is the fourth highest civil airport in China, following Tibet's Ngari Airport, Bangda Airport and Lhasa Airport. [16:12]

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) urged local authorities in the nation's northwest Qinghai Province to dispatch disaster relief supplies and personnel to reopen the area's Batang airport after it was damaged by the earthquake. [15:58]

Recue work won't be affected by weather

According to the meteorological department in Qinghai, overall sunny and cloudy weather is expected in quake-hit Yushu in the coming four days, with lows of -10 ℃ to -1 ℃ and highs of 7 ℃ to 18 ℃. From 18 to 20 there will be sleet and showers in parts of the county.

An official with the meteorological department said that an emergency plan had been put in place to ensure that the weather won't affect the rescue work in coming days.

[15:54]

6-magnitude aftershocks likely in Qinghai

Powerful aftershocks measuring above 6-magnitude are likely to strike Yushu County in northwest China's Qinghai province in the coming days, according to researcher Liu Jie with the China Earthquake Networks Center. [15:48]

90 rescuers to head for quake-hit region from Beijing

A team from the Chinese National Earthquake Relief is scheduled to leave Beijing from Nanyuan airport for Qinghai at 3 pm on Wednesday.

Among them, 60 work for search and rescue, the other 30 are medical crew. [15:06]

32 rescued from quake debris

Thirty-two people were rescued from the debris caused by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Yushu county in northwest China's Qinghai province early Wednesday, China Central Television reported. [15:05]

Five pupils killed in school collapse

Five pupils were killed when a school collapsed after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Yushu prefecture in northwestern Qinghai province on Wednesday, according to a Xinhua reporter at the scene. [14:49]

Relief alarm updated to first level

The level of disaster relief alarm has been updated to first from four, a decision made by Chen Jianmin, chief of the China Seismological Bureau, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. [14:27]

Railway unaffected by quake, official says

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Yushu county in Northwest China's Qinghai province will not affect the Qinghai-Tibet railway, an official with the Yushu government said.

The epicenter is calculated to be 33.1 north and 96.7 east, which is 200 kilometers away from the Qinghai-Tibet railway, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. [14:21]

Sichuan workers pitch in to rescue efforts

Ganze county in western Sichuan province was affected by Yushu's 7.1-magnitude earthquake. Twenty disaster relief workers with 100,000 yuan worth of relief supplies sent by Sichuan Red Cross raced to Yushu to begin their work. [14:14]

As of 13:30 pm Wednesday, the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Yushu county in Northwest China's Qinghai province has left at least 300 dead and more than 8,000 injured, according to China National Radio. [13:45]

China's int'l rescue team on its way to Qinghai

The country’s international rescue team, made up of 30 medical staff, is leaving from Beijing for the quake-hit Qinghai province at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, China's major Web portal sina.com said. [13:37]

School suspended after quake

School has been suspended in Chengduo County of quake-hit Yushu prefecture and there were no reports of student deaths, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.

Many houses were leveled during the major earthquake and most of them were bungalows, a local primary school teacher said. Residents remained in open areas for fear of possible aftershocks. [13:24]

China Eastern Air sends 2 planes

China Eastern Air has dispatched two planes to Xining for rescue efforts in the quake-hit Yushu county, Qinghai province.

The two A-319 planes will be used for transportation of rescue teams and materials between Xining and Yushu. [13:19]