Relief operations in badly-hit Mianyang underway

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-14-2008 08:58

While rescue workers are still trying to get in to the epicenter, relief operations in other parts of Sichuan are now underway. CCTV reporter Wang Mangmang has the latest update on the situation in Mianyang, one of the worst hit area.

The city stadium has become the temporary shelter for local  residents. Over 10,000 people have spent the first night here  after Monday's earthquake.

Disaster relief teams have been everywhere along the way to Mianyang. The Chongqing Grid Company is rushing to the quake-struck area without a specific destination. The staff are ready to head to wherever there's a need, whenever accessible.

Mao Guozhi, supervisor of Chongqing Grid, said, "We do not know exactly where we're heading. The only instruction we received was to head to the hit areas. We've been keeping contact with the company as we go. We want to do it quickly so that we can help save more lives."

Relief teams like this are all over the province to help save people's lives, bringing hope and belief.

CCTV reporter Wang Mangmang has the latest update on the  situation in Mianyang, one of the worst hit area.

The city stadium has become the temporary shelter for local residents. Over 10,000 people have spent the first night here after Monday's earthquake. Medical aid as well as food and water supplies are helping them to get over the trauma.

The slightly injured, and the homeless, are all being taken care of. But some people here are still waiting anxiously to hear from families or friends in other parts of the city.

A Mianyang resident said, "My head and one leg were slightly injured. Brick fell down when I was having a meeting. But I feel lucky because people in other areas must have been in worse situation and we do not hear from them."

However, the weather has become one of the biggest obstacles hampering rescue work in rural areas. Continuous rainfall has suspended many relief operations. And as much as seventy millimeters of rain is expected in the next couple of days.

In Mianyang, the death toll has climbed to 4,100 and forty. Over 800 people are currently missing. And more than 18,000 people are still buried in rubble. People are still experiencing aftershocks. But in the urban area, their fears are gradually reducing as relief becomes readily available.

Editor:Zhang Ning