Sat, 7 Jun 11:29:04 GMT17

 

China rescuers search for crashed quake chopper
02 Jun 2008 00:48:33 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Lindsay Beck

CHENGDU, China, June 2 (Reuters) - Chinese rescue workers continued to search for their own in the mountains of Sichuan province on Monday, after a military helicopter ferrying earthquake survivors crashed in heavy fog over the weekend.

The military transport helicopter with 19 people on board, including residents injured in the quake, crashed on Saturday near Yingxiu, close to the quake's epicentre, Xinhua news agency said.

The five-member crew of the helicopter was on their 64th mission since a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan nearly three weeks ago, Xinhua said.

China has mobilised its military to unblock roads, clear rubble and deliver food, water and tents to the estimated 5 million people displaced by the May 12 earthquake. Rescuers are racing to clear lakes and set up housing before the summer rainy season begins.

As of June 1, officials said the earthquake had killed more than 69,000 people, with nearly 19,000 missing and around 368,500 injured, according to Xinhua.

The earthquake has gripped China, unleashing a flood of donations and volunteers to help in relief work.

Organizers of an annual march in Hong Kong to commemorate victims of the June 4, 1989, massacre of Tiananmen Square demonstrators in Beijing said donations were collected and would be given to quake relief efforts. The estimated 500 marchers kept silent as a sign of mourning.

Troops withdrew from a dangerous "quake lake" formed by a massive landslide at Tangjiashan, after clearing a channel for water to flow out from behind the blockage. The water had risen to within 7 meters of the lowest point of the unstable natural dam by this weekend, threatening to flood downstream communities.

Trucks trundled across Sichuan with materials for pre-fabricated housing, designed to replace stifling hot and leaky tents.

In the ruined town of Yingxiu, near the epicentre, blasting began to clear rubble and unsafe buildings. Workers vigorously sprayed disinfectant to guard against epidemics as overcast and muggy summer weather settled in.

Chinese president Hu Jintao travelled to the southeast corner of Gansu Province, where towns along the fault line were also heavily damaged. He visited a Pakistani medical team, one of several foreign teams doing relief work in China.

Two miners, stranded since the earthquake, were rescued, state media said. (Additional reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Writing by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Ken Wills and Alex Richardson)
AlertNet news is provided by

Related articles

Breaking stories
Asia Hong Kong finds H5N1 bird flu in poultry market

Asia S.Korea's Lee to ask Bush for help over beef fears

AlertNet insight
Americas MEDIAWATCH: Food summit thwarts hope

Aid agency news feed
Americas ACT Rapid Response Payment: Earthquake in the Central region of Colombia

Blogs
Asia HIV threat looms over China's evolution

Maps
Americas MAP: Precipitation Forecast Tool (interactive map)


Country information


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T152925Z_01_NIR04_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/NIR04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T152803Z_01_NIR03_RTRIDSP_2_QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/NIR03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T134909Z_01_HKG09_RTRIDSP_2_HONGKONG_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HKG09.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T134627Z_01_HKG08_RTRIDSP_2_HONGKONG_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HKG08.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-06-04T130613Z_01_HKG06_RTRIDSP_2_HONGKONG_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HKG06.htm

Police and soldiers guard the entrance to the earthquake-destroyed Juyuan Middle school in Juyuan, Sichuan province June 4, 2008. At least two of the main reported schools that were open and ...



URL: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK202737.htm

For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org