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Over 16,000 without shelter as snow blankets
China's Xinjiang
Over 16,000 without shelter as snow blankets China's
Xinjiang
2003-03-04 / Agence France-Presse /
More than 16,000 people are without proper shelter in
sub-zero temperatures as snow and sleet turn roads
into rivers of mud hampering distribution of relief to
a northwest China earthquake zone, officials said
yesterday.
With the weather worsening dramatically over the
weekend, aid workers in the township of Qiongkuerqiake,
the epicenter of last week's 6.8-degree tremor that
claimed 268 lives, said they were facing unexpected
new challenges.
"It has worsened our problem with ensuring
accommodation for the victims," Abdul Imu, a Red Cross
official told AFP by telephone from the quake zone.
"More than 16,000 people now have to live in
primitive, makeshift shelters."
Distribution of the 4,000 to 5,000 tents needed to
care for these people has now been delayed by the
snowfall, he said.
"We need to bring the tents by truck from
Qiongkuerqiake to the surrounding villages," he said.
"But the snow has made transportation cumbersome and
some drivers have lost their way."
The deterioration of the weather could put the
credibility of the Communist Party to the test, as it
has promised to offer basic necessities to all.
"We're planning to guarantee the food supply to the
area, and provide people with temporary heating such
as stoves," said a party official, surnamed Sun, from
the city of Bachu, 100 kilometers away.
Due to the heavy snow, officials Sunday closed down
the airport in the nearby city of Kashgar, in one of
the most remote corners of the largely Muslim Xinjiang
region, which border Central Asian states.
The change in the weather came just as relief
officials were getting the situation under control
after last Monday's earthquake caused 8,000 homes to
collapse and affected a total of 50,000 people.
One of the few encouraging aspects of the disaster was
the way in which dry, relatively warm weather had made
rescue efforts easier.
"When the weather worsened, I was thinking, that's all
they needed," said France Hurtubise, a Beijing-based
Red Cross official.
With temperatures creeping as low as minus six degrees
Celsius, even those lucky enough to have been offered
tents find themselves in a near-desperate plight.
"The tents aren't warm enough to protect the villagers,"
said a rescue team member posted in Qiongkuerqiake,
surnamed Song. "But they have enough clothes, and aid
is coming from across the country."
Once the immediate emergency work has been completed,
arduous reconstruction lies ahead.
Local authorities have vowed to rebuild people's homes
by June or July this year, which means at least three
months of constant exposure to the elements for
thousands of families.
Over 4,000 people were injured in the quake, and many
of them now have to be treated inside tents, because
hospitals and clinics have collapsed.
Despite the primitive conditions, epidemics are not
yet a problem, according to state media.
The China News Service reported that many of the cases
treated by emergency medical teams -- such as
dizziness and headaches -- were induced by the shock
and mental strain caused by the tremor.
"Give them a bit of medicine, and cheer them up, and
they're as happy as ever," one doctor told the news
service.
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