President Jakaya Kikwete on Sunday sent a message of condolences to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, following deaths of 208 people in the Asian country’s worst earthquake in three years that also left over 1,000 injured.
President Jakaya Kikwete
The 6.6 magnitude quake struck in Lushan county, near the city of Ya’an in the southwestern province of Sichuan, close to where a devastating 7.9 quake hit in May 2008, killing 70,000. In his message through the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, President Kikwete said he was deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquake that hit the Lushan County.
“On behalf of the government and the people of Tanzania and indeed on my own behalf, I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to you and through you to the government and people of China following this unfortunate natural disaster,” said the president, adding: “At this moment of emergency and stress, our thoughts and prayers are with all the bereaved, the injured or those who have suffered heavy loss after damage of property.”
Mr Kikwete expressed confidence in the Chinese government that it would respond to the tragedy with their characteristic resolve and resilience and would succeed in restoring normalcy quickly. Most of the deaths were concentrated in Lushan, a short drive up the valley from Ya’an, but rescuers’ progress was Sunday hampered by the narrowness of the road and landslides, as well as government controls restricting access to avoid traffic jams.
“The Lushan county centre is getting back to normal, but the need is still considerable in terms of shelter and materials,” said Kevin Xia of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “Supplies have had difficulty getting into the region because of the traffic jams. Most of our supplies are still on the way.”
In Ya’an, relief workers from across China expressed frustration with gaining access to Lushan and the villages beyond, up in the mountains. “We’re in a hurry. There are people that need help and we have supplies in the back (of the car),” said one man from the Shandong Province Earthquake Emergency Response Team, who declined to give his name.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs put the number of dead at 184 and missing at 24, with more than 11,800 injured. Hundreds of armed police were blocked from using roads that were wrecked by landslides and marched in single file with shovels en route to Baoxing, one of the hardest hit areas. Xinhua news agency said 18,000 troops were in the area. The Foreign Ministry thanked foreign governments for offers of help, but said the country was able to cope.
Source Tanzania Daily News
