Scenes of devastation after China quake
A strong earthquake in southern China's Yunnan province toppled thousands of homes, killing at least 398 people and injuring over 1,800. A rescue operation is underway, but rain and landslides have blocked key roads.
Extensive damage
The magnitude-6.1 quake struck at 4:30 PM local time on August 3 at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. Its epicenter was in Longtoushan township, southwest of the city of Zhaotong, the Ludian county seat. Over 12,000 houses collapsed and 30,000 were damaged in the quake zone in the southwestern province of Yunnan, China's official news agency Xinhua said.
'All ruins'
At least 398 people were killed by the tremor, with 1,801 injured, according to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs. Power lines were damaged and telecommunications services were cut off in many areas. A Ludian resident described the scene as resembling a "battlefield after bombardment," telling Xinhua: "I have never felt (such) strong tremors before. What I can see are all ruins."
Rescue efforts
Relief efforts were underway, with more than 2,500 troops dispatched to the disaster area. They are being supported by hundreds of police officers and firefighters and about 2,000 civilians who joined the rescue work, according to local reports. The Red Cross Society of China allocated quilts, jackets and tents for those made homeless by the quake.
A difficult search
Soldiers stretchered the injured away from the scene. The victims were rushed to local hospitals and as dawn broke on Monday, rescuers continued to pick through the rubble of destroyed homes in a desperate search for survivors. Efforts to shelter some 57,000 people left homeless, however, were hampered by heavy rain and landslides blocking key roads.
The threat of floods
The quake caused vast swathes of hillside to plunge into a nearby river, blocking its flow and causing the water to rise 30 meters above its usual level, thus increasing the threat of floods.
Aftershocks
Many among the estimated 1 million people affected by Sunday's quake felt hundreds of aftershocks. Xinhua said its reporters "saw drenched survivors sit along the muddy roads waiting for food and medication. Some half-naked survivors were quivering in the rain." Many of the homes that collapsed in Ludian, which has a population of about 429,000, were old and made of brick.
Prone to earthquakes
The mountainous region where the quake struck is largely agricultural, with farming and mining the top industries, and is prone to earthquakes. In 1970, a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killed at least 15,000 people. Four years later, a magnitude-7.1 quake in the province killed more than 1,400 people.
Condolences
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered "his condolences to the Chinese Government and the families of those killed," according to a statement from his office. The statement said the UN is ready to "lend its assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs" and "to mobilize any international support needed." The White House also offered its condolences.