Buildings at China quake epicenter reduced to shambles

World Today

Longtoushan Village is located at the epicenter of the earthquake. It’s 350 kilometers (219 miles) northeast of Yunnan’s capital city Kunming. The powerful earthquake reduced 90 percent of the buildings in the village to shambles in just 15 seconds. So far about 70 people have been pulled from the rubble, and 30 have survived.

According to China’s Earthquake Monitoring Agency the 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the village on August 3, 2014. In this village at the epicenter, many residents were buried by rubble with no time to escape. At least 40 migrant workers died inside a two-story house that was made of mud and bricks. It’s been mostly rainy in the quake region and many villagers are still traumatized by the suddenness of the disaster.

Rescue workers have been fully mobilized. A team from the provincial armed police are using life detectors to search for signs of life.  So far over 2,000 people from police, armed forces, hospitals and fire departments are participating in relief efforts. The road leading to the village is being cleared, and more support is on the way. CCTV’s Jin Yingqiao reports.

Buildings at China quake epicenter reduced to shambles

Longtoushan Village is located at the epicenter of the earthquake. It's 350 kilometers (219 miles) northeast of Yunnan's capital city Kunming. The powerful earthquake reduced 90 percent of the buildings in the village to shambles in just 15 seconds. So far about 70 people have been pulled from the rubble, and 30 have survived.