Statments
Earthquake Hits Southwest China’s Sichun Province
Dear friends,
On this special occasion when the people in Ya’an city, southwest China’s Sichuan Province has been suffering the terrible earthquake hit, the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD) would hereby share with you the updated news on the disaster and the rescuing efforts, and thank you for all your kind concern and solidarity.
At 8:02 a.m. Saturday Beijing time, April 20, 2013, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hits Lushan county, Ya’an city, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. By Monday morning Beijing time April 22, the latest statistics showed that 188 people have been confirmed dead, 25 missing, 11460 injured and more than 1.5 million people have been affected, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Within the first critical 72 hours of rescue, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang ordered all possible measures to be taken to rescue victims and minimize deaths and injuries. The State Council has launched a first-grade emergency response to the earthquake. Premier Li Keqiang headed for Ya’an City at 13:15 p.m. Saturday. Leaders of Sichuan Province immediately arrived at the epicenter to direct the rescue and relief work. A total of 18,000 soldiers and officers from China's military and armed police forces and members of paramilitary reserve forces have been sent to the quake affected areas for rescue, and so far 10,000 have reached areas where are seriously stricken. The armed forces also dispatched 23 helicopters to carry out material transportation missions, and 5,800 police staffs have saved 103 people in quake hit areas, according to a statement of the Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC). More than 2,300 firemen have been engaged in rescue work and saved 96 people, according to the Ministry of Public Security. As of Sunday morning, Hospitals in Sichuan received nearly 8,200 injured patients, a total of 982 medical workers and 202 medical vehicles had rushed to the quake-hit areas, according to a statement from the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
The Chinese government on Sunday earmarked 1 billion RMB Yuan (about 160 million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief efforts, which will be used for rescue and relief work, the relocation of people affected by the quake, medical treatment, subsidies for the victims' families, as well as for repairing damaged public facilities. The organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has earmarked 3 million RMB Yuan (about 480,000 U.S. dollars) to the quake-stricken area. Different provincial governments, State-owned and private enterprises, as well as China’s civil societies all contributed in diversified ways of sending condolences, donating money, tents, food etc. to the quake-hit region.
As the largest peace organization in China, the CPAPD feels sorrow for the grievous disaster and our fellow people in Sichuan Province, for their loss of family members, homes and peaceful lives they used to have. Thus we would like to make every effort to help the rescue and relief work as well as the rebuilding of the quake-hit region.
May the speedy recovery to the people and the region!
Secretariat of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD)
Tel: (0086)-10-83907360
Fax: (0086)-10-83907370
E-mail: cpapd@cpapd.org.cn
http://www.cpapd.org.cn
