Rescuers anchor the shelter in Xiuling village of Yangbi Yi autonomous county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, May 22, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
BEIJING – Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong on Saturday demanded all-out efforts to organize relief work and rescue the injured after earthquakes hit the provinces of Yunnan and Qinghai.
People's lives should be taken as the top priority, said Wang, who also leads the State Council's earthquake relief headquarters.
Four earthquakes with a magnitude over 5.0 struck Yangbi Yi autonomous county in the Dali Bai autonomous prefecture of Yunnan from 9 pm to 11 pm on Friday. At 2:04 am on Saturday, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Maduo County in the Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Qinghai province
Work groups and disaster relief forces have been dispatched soon after the quakes, Wang said at a meeting to arrange disaster relief work, stressing real-time monitoring to verify the disaster situation.
He also demanded more efforts to search for trapped people and rescue the injured.
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Those affected by the quakes should be relocated and their basic needs should be met, Wang said.
He also urged urgent repairs of the damaged roads and bridges, noting that crucial infrastructure should be kept working.
Information related to the disasters should be released in a timely manner, he added.
Four earthquakes with a magnitude over 5.0 struck Yangbi Yi autonomous county in the Dali Bai autonomous prefecture of Yunnan from 9 pm to 11 pm on Friday. At 2:04 am on Saturday, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Maduo County in the Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Qinghai province.
China has allocated 10 million yuan (about US$1.56 million) from its central budget for disaster relief to the provinces of Yunnan and Qinghai.
ALSO READ: Yunnan quake injures 4, damages homes
The emergency funds, allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, will be used to aid disaster relief and ensure people's livelihoods in the affected areas.
Authorities have also sent 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding cots and 20,000 blankets to facilitate the relief work.
The National Health Commission on Saturday dispatched medical teams, consisting of surgeons, critical-care experts, and psychologists, to the two regions.
A medical staff treats a woman at a shelter in Xiuling Village of Yangbi Yi autonomous county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, May 22, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
In Yunnan, by 3 pm Saturday, three people were killed and 32 others injured, according to a press briefing on Saturday night. Seven people were severely injured and 25 others had minor injuries.
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Earlier on Saturday morning, Li Zepeng, deputy head of the prefecture, said that a large number of houses and facilities were damaged in the areas hit by the quake.
In Qinghai Province, 13 people suffered slight injuries, local rescuers said. Roads and houses were damaged.