Chinese president visits quake zone

Chinese President Hu Jintao has arrived in northwestern Qinghai Province following a strong Wednesday earthquake that left hundreds dead.

Hu Jintao made the visit on Sunday to the area to inspect relief efforts, state television reported

The president, who cut short a trip to Latin America to oversee the emergency response, went to visit victims in Gyegu, the largest city in the shattered region.

Hu on Saturday chaired a meeting of China's top leaders, urging all-out efforts for the quake response, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Hundreds of military trucks, joined by relief convoys organized by private aid groups, rolled across the 1,000 km (600 miles) from the provincial capital to Gyegu, the county seat, where survivors are increasingly desperate for food and shelter.

In Tuanjie village, outside Gyegu, relief workers distributed blankets at the local monastery, but said the high altitude is limiting their ability to fly in food.

"We have never had such a big earthquake before so this is completely unexpected for us and we were not prepared," said He Zhanlu, team leader for aid distribution in the village. "To add to this, aid from all over the country is coming to us now, so traffic conditions on the road are a logistical problem."

The magnitude-7.1 quake killed at least 1,484 people and injured more than 12,000 in high-altitude province.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123651§ionid=351020404.