Sichuan quake: growing death toll. Volunteers and Tibetan monks blocked
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Rescue teams are making every effort to reach the most remote areas of Sichuan hit by an earthquake two days ago. The death toll has increased: there are 188 dead, 21 missing, 11 thousand injured of which about 1,000 are in serious a condition. The State Council has banned unauthorized groups from travelling to the area for fear of adding to traffic problems.
In the areas of Yaan
and Lushan, the epicenter of the earthquake, there are backups of about 20 km making
aid distribution difficult. In
addition, more than 1,300 aftershocks have caused at least 10 landslides on the
roads and the army engaged in rescue operations has had to use dynamite to allow
the passage of truckloads of aid and bulldozers to dig through the rubble.
Besides
the lack of electricity and communications caused by the collapse of
infrastructure, many people complain about not having received tents, food,
water. In
several villages, the survivors dug with their hands to search for bodies and
family buried under the collapsed houses. vehicles
carrying water, crackers and noodles and mantou (steamed bread) only arrived this
morning in Lushan. The army has begun to build
tent cities. In
the meantime, many villages have built makeshift shelters, to cover their sleeping
children, while adults sleep in the open air.
The Premier Li
Keqiang, facing his first experience of an emergency, visited the area a few
hours after the earthquake. The next
day he visited the wounded in hospitals in Chengdu. He
said that the priority is to "save lives", but many accuse Beijing of
only allowing news reports that show the government in a good light.
Human
rights activists were stopped on the way to Yaan and warned "not to add more
problems" to the disaster. Among
them, Huang Qi who in 2008 worked to
help the earthquake victims in Sichuan. He
was also imprisoned for having obtained "state secrets". In
the earthquake of five years ago the authorities were criticized for having
built "tofu schools ", without cement and without following quake
proof guidelines, resulting in the death of nearly 6 thousand students and
children. Two
days ago, a group of Tibetan monks of Chengdu tried to reach the area of the
earthquake to bring aid, but was blocked by the authorities. Activists
fear that the government may slow down the free flow of information on the
disaster, only allowing the publication of positive news.
Another point of
discussion on the web is the Red Cross fund raising efforts. The organization was accused of having hidden billions of Yuan after the 2008earthquake
. Zhao
Baige, vice president of the humanitarian organization has promised greater
transparency and asked people not to stop aiding their compatriots affected by
the earthquake.
The
Ministry of Finance has already allocated one billion Yuan for the emergency, shelter
for the displaced people, medical care, subsidies for the victims and to repair
the damage.
Several
countries, including Japan, have offered aid, but China has said that thus far,
it does not need help.
Some
scientists have warned of the threat posed by the many hydroelectric dams built
in Sichuan. In
addition to the damage caused by the earthquake, there is a danger of
landslides, caused by rain, which could lead to flooding. One of
these dams is only 10 km from the epicenter of the earthquake.
The
Ministry of Water Resources said that 14 major dams affected by the earthquake
are stable, two of medium size ones are damaged; 52 small dams have suffered
severe damage. At
least 3 thousand engineers and soldiers have been sent to examine the status of
hydroelectric reservoirs in the area and to carry out the necessary repairs.
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