SW China quake: What we do and don't know
Updated: 2014-08-04 12:30
(Xinhua)
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LUDIAN, Yunnan - A powerful earthquake jolted Southwest China's Yunnan province Sunday afternoon, killing at least 381. Following is what we know and still don't know about the disaster as of Monday morning.
-- Quake:
It struck at 4:30 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time);
Epicenter was 12 km deep at Longtoushan, a township 23 km southwest of the county seat of Ludian, Zhaotong City in Yunnan;
-- Destruction:
It was the most powerful earthquake to hit Yunnan in 14 years;
It is so far the third-deadliest earthquake in China in the past six years (after 2008's Wenchuan Earthquake and 2010's Yushu Earthquake);
Over 12,000 houses toppled and 30,000 were damaged;
-- Casualties:
381 killed (302 in Ludian, 66 in Qiaojia County, 12 in Huize County, 1 in Zhaoyang District);
1,801 injured;
3 still missing;
-- Disaster zone:
Quake-prone region in northeast Yunnan;
One of the poorest areas in China;
Zhaotong's population is around 5.2 million;
Home to 23 minority ethnic groups;
-- Rescue efforts:
7,000 rescuers, including 5,000 soldiers, police officers, and firefighters, are searching the rubble and working to move the injured out of the quake zone;
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged prioritizing saving lives;
Premier Li Keqiang is en route to Yunnan to oversee quake relief;
Two military helicopters and two cargo planes are on their way to the quake zone;
Highest level of earthquake emergency response issued;
-- What is hampering rescue:
Continuous downpours (rain expected for the next four days);
Blocked roads;
Lack of professional facilities and rescue workers;
-- Potential dangers:
Rain-triggered mudslides;
Collapsing houses;
Rising "earthquake lakes" due to areas filling with water
Frequent aftershocks;
-- What is most urgently needed:
Blood;
Food and medicine;
Quilts and blankets;
Water;
Tents;
Power still out in some remote regions;
-- Still unknown:
When blocked roads will be cleared; officials said relief supplies are in stock but hard to deliver.
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