Southwest China quake injures 26, rescue continues

The number of people confirmed as injured in Saturday morning's earthquake in southwest China's Yunnan Province has risen to 26, as the rescue operation goes on. Five severely injured people are in stable conditions, as relief efforts following the 5.3-magnitude quake continue on Sunday in Yongshan County, the quake epicenter, an official with the county government's information office told Xinhua. The local government dished out relief supplies, such as tents, quilts, food and water, to quake victims in temporary shelters despite rain on Saturday night. The provincial government has decided to allocate 3 million yuan (483,000 U.S. dollars) and more tents and quilts to quake-hit areas, said the official, who declined to give his name. The quake hit the county, with an epicenter 13 km deep, at 6:40 a.m. on Saturday, affecting 68,600 residents, of whom 21,000 had to be relocated. It left houses flattened, transport suspended and electricity and communication facilities damaged. Forty-eight schools were damaged in six towns. Since students were on their three-day Tomb-sweeping holiday, there were no casualties from schools, according to local education authorities. More than 1,600 rescuers are searching in debris for possibly trapped victims and helping repair roads. Currently, electricity supply, transportation and communication has been returned to normal in the quake area.