BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) has dispatched 1,000 cotton tents to residents in southwest China quake-hit areas, providing them with shelter from rain, snow and low temperatures.
A total of 386 people have been evacuated from the disaster-hit area in Sichuan Province, where 231 homes were severely damaged and 15 collapsed, according to an MEM meeting Monday.
Seventeen people were injured and no casualties were reported after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake jolted the county of Xingwen in Yibin, Sichuan at 12:46 p.m. on Sunday.
The MEM has activated an IV-level emergency response and dispatched working teams to assist in rescue work.
Local communications have been re-established, and water and gas supplies, railway and postal services have also been resumed.
The MEM demanded all-out efforts in rescue work, stressed heating and basic living standards at relocation sites, and cautioned against possible further natural disasters including landslides.
