1st LD-Writethru: Rescue work goes smoothly in quake-hit Xinjiang county

Disaster-relief supplies have reached quake-stricken areas in Akto County hit by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake Friday night, said local sources on Saturday.

According to the publicity department of Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 50 quilts, 100 bags of flour, 25 tents and medicine worth 10,000 yuan (1,440 U.S. dollars) were sent to the county at 3 a.m..

In the meantime, an emergency communication support vehicle as well as four maritime satellite phones were dispatched to guarantee normal communication for local residents.

As of 6:50 a.m., another 100 tents, 300 quilts, 300 coats, 200 bags of flour, 200 tonnes of coal, small generators and flashlights reached Muji, where a villager was killed by a collapsed house.

As of Saturday noon, the earthquake had felled 100 houses and damaged another 124.

About 130 local herdsmen have been evacuated to a safer place.

Gu Wensheng, Party chief of Akto County, said the relief supplies have been sent to each and every quake-affected villager.

Aftershocks continued to hit the county. A magnitude 5 quake, the largest so far, occurred at 5:23 p.m. with a depth of six km. The quake did not cause any casualties, the county government said.

The epicenter is in remote highland area that is sparsely populated. In Akto 96 percent of the land is mountain. Endi