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Charities rally round after China earthquake

by
26 April 2013

By a staff reporter

AP

Aftermath: government rescue workers prepare to enter Gucheng, in China, on Sunday, after the earthquake on the previous day

Aftermath: government rescue workers prepare to enter Gucheng, in China, on Sunday, after the earthquake on the previous day

HUNDREDS of people were killed and thousands of homes flattened after an earthquake struck Sichuan province, in China, at the weekend.

Christian charities and churches are distributing relief supplies, including hygiene kits, to the thousands of people made homeless by the earthquake.

The charity World Vision is in the area distributing aid, and is preparing to set up "child-friendly spaces" to provide a safe place for children to play in and receive psychological support.

The earthquake, which measured 6.6, killed 200 people, injured 11,500, and forced 245,000 people to flee their homes. At the epicentre, in the village of Longmen, in Lushan County, 99 per cent of the homes collapsed, a report from the UN said.

Hundreds of aftershocks have since been felt in the region, adding to the trauma of survivors.

"We are witnessing mass devastation, homes flattened, children homeless, and livelihoods wiped away," the head of World Vision's emergency response team in China, Meimei Leung, said on Tuesday. "People are huddled in tents along the roadside, and near the stadium."

Churches in the region are raising funds for victims, and offering prayer support.

The Bible Society reports that the number of Christians in the region has increased to about 80,000 since the last earthquake in the same area ( News, 22 May 2008).

In 2008, an earthquake measuring 8 struck the province. Nearly 70,000 people died, and 4.2 million were left homeless. Another 20,000 people are still missing.

Many churches in the region were damaged in the latest quake. Jock Foo, from the Bible Society's China Partnership, said: "Amazingly, one church in Ya'an, near the quake's epicentre, remained intact, and is now being used as a refuge area."

The government has sent thousands of troops to the region to help with aid and rebuilding efforts.

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