BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Saving lives should be taken as the top priority during quake relief after nearly 15,000 were confirmed dead, a high profile meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee was told Wednesday.
The meeting of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee, presided over by President Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, urged more army, armed police, firemen and special policemen, as well as medical personnel be rushed to the quake-hit areas.
The meeting called on various government departments to take measures to provide appropriate accommodations to survivors, ensuring that they are well fed, clad and sheltered.
"Attention should be paid to maintain social stability," the meeting was told.
It presses resumption of transportation, electricity, communication and water supply as soon as possible.
A strong quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County in northwest part of Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. on Monday. The death toll tallied 14,463 by 4 p.m. on Wednesday in Sichuan. Another 14,051 were missing, 25,788 buried in debris, and 64,746 injured.
Tens of thousands of army personnel and armed police have arrived at or are approaching the epicenter to carry out disaster relief work.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, emergency relief teams sent by the China Seismological Bureau (CSB) and 13 provinces and municipalities had saved 84 survivors in Sichuan.
Disaster relief goods have been airdropped to major quake-hit areas including Wenchuan County and Mianzhu City.
Public donations in both cash and goods to the quake-hit areas had risen to 877 million yuan (125 million U.S. dollars) as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, updating a previous figure of 603 million yuan, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) consoles locals as he pays a visit to Beichuan County, which neighbors the epicenter of the massive quake in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 14, 2008. Wen Jiabao arrived on Wednesday at Beichuan County, one of the regions worst hit by Monday's massive earthquake, to oversee the rescue work. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered the armed forces and civil aviation department to deploy 90 more helicopters for rescue missions in quake-hit Sichuan province.
The decision was made at a late Wednesday evening meeting of the national quake relief headquarters held on a running train from Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu to Guangyuan city about 200 kilometers away. Full story
The wounded is lifted to a helicopter in Yingxiu Town of Wenchuan County, the epicenter of Monday's massive earthquake on May 14, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A strong quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday afternoon.
Tremors were felt across China except the northeastern Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. Full story
BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan County of southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday afternoon, killing almost 15,000 people in Sichuan and neighboring regions.
The worst quake in three decades in China was felt in most parts of the county. The following is a detailed list of casualties reported from different regions, based on the latest government statistics. Full story
