Rescue effort continues at site of earthquake in China

World Today

Working by flashlight, crews struggled overnight to rescue people trapped in the rubble after what Chinese officials say was a 6.5 earthquake that hit Yunnan province in southwest China Sunday afternoon.

Hospitals are filled with the injured, and according to initial estimates, at least 12,000 homes have been destroyed and 30,000 more damaged.

The rough weather is making it difficult for rescue helicopters to fly. Some rescuers have had to carry victims to safety on their backs. The heavy rains could continue for several more days.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the epicenter of the damage Monday, speaking with local residents and rescue workers vowing to make recovery a top priority.

Conditions on the ground are so difficult that the Premier had to walk the final five kilometers of his journey on foot because rubble and floodwater made driving impossible.

CCTV America’s Jim Spellman reports.
Follow Jim Spellman on Twitter @jimspellmanTV

Premier Li urges rescue as top priority in earthquake relief

Working by flashlight, crews struggled overnight to rescue people trapped in rubble after what Chinese officials say was a 6.5 earthquake, hit Yunnan province in southwest China Sunday afternoon.

Peggy Hellweg, the operations manager at the Seismology Laboratory at the University of California in Berkeley, joined CCTV America to talk more about the powerful earthquake that hit China’s Yunnan province.

Seismologist explains the powerful quake in China

Peggy Hellweg, the operations manager at the Seismology Laboratory at the University of California in Berkeley, joined CCTV America to talk more about the powerful earthquake that hit China's Yunnan province.

CCTV’s Wu Lei joined live from the site of the disaster for the latest update on the earthquake aftermath.

Latest from China on Yunnan earthquake

CCTV's Wu Lei joined live from the site of the disaster for the latest update on the earthquake aftermath.