Relief goods pour into Yunnan quake zone; life moves on

Rescuers transfer drinkable water to quake-hit areas of South China's Yunan province August 8, 2014.  [Photo/Xinhua]

LUDIAN, Yunnan - Trucks loaded with tents, generators, water and food are pouring into quake-hit areas of Southwest China's Yunnan province as traffic conditions improve.

As of 8 am on Friday, more than 20,000 tents, 13,000 beds, 38,000 boxes of water and 31,000 packs of instant noodles had been distributed to residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Sunday's 6.5 magnitude earthquake.

A lot more disaster relief goods have been carried to the zone and are ready to be handed out, according to Duan Liyuan, head of the provincial civil affairs department.

Other daily necessities including quilts, overcoats, rice, oil and portable toilets reached residents after being dropped by helicopters or transported by rescuers and volunteers, Duan said.

The disaster has left 615 people dead so far, with 114 others missing. More than 25,800 houses have been destroyed forcing relocation of 230,000 people.

Among the relocated people, about 100,000 are living in tents and other temporary shelters while the rest are in homes of relatives or friends, Duan said.

"We can say that people in the earthquake zone now have access to food, water and safe shelter," he said.

However, the official noted overcrowding in tents has become a problem in some remote sites.

The central government has allocated 2.2 billion yuan (about 358 million U.S. dollars) to fund disaster relief.