Relief underway as 5.5 magnitude-temblor hits SW China

KUNMING, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Relief supplies are being sent from nearby regions to Ninglang County in southwest China's Yunnan Province after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck the county and injured 23 people Sunday.

Relief materials, including 1,500 tents, 2,000 quilts, 2,500 cotton-padded overcoats, 500 blankets and 1,000 folding wooden beds, are being packed up and sent to Ninglang.

The provincial food and strategic reserves administration and the emergency management department have worked together to help deliver the supplies to quake-struck areas.

The quake took place at 3:02 p.m. Sunday. Currently, all injured have received timely treatment and none suffered life-threatening injuries, the county information office said.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, over 8,100 houses in the county had been damaged by the quake and no death or collapsed building has been reported yet.

The power and water supply and telecommunications service in the quake-hit areas are basically in normal operations, and the life of local residents is not severely affected.

Wenquan Village in Yongning Township has been one of the most affected during the natural disaster. The rescue team went door-to-door to check the damage and coordinated with local government staff to evacuate villagers to safe areas and hand out emergency supplies.