Death toll in China's Sichuan quake rises to 20

A bus is destroyed by falling stones on the S301 highway in quake-hit Jiuzhaigou County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 9, 2017. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the popular tourist destination Tuesday night. [Photo: Xinhua/Fan Peishen]

Provincial authorities in Sichuan say 20 people have been confirmed dead and more than 400 injured in the earthquake that struck near a popular tourist area on Tuesday night.

Dozens of others injured in another quake in Xinjiang on Wednesday morning have been given medical treatment.

CRI's Yu Yang has the story.

The quake jolted Jiuzhaigou County, home to a popular scenic area.

The Ministry of Public Security says that more than 70-thousand people have been evacuated to safety after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake left them stranded in Sichuan Province.

Qumu Shiha, deputy commander of the disaster relief headquarters, says teams have been working efficiently to evacuate tourists from the quake zone.

"After the headquarters was moved to Zhangzha Township, the first thing it did was evacuate tourists, making sure that they leave in relatively good mood and calmly. We mobilized the airports and vehicles, private and state-owned, in Mianyang, Guangyuan and Chengdu's Shuangliu along the route, to evacuate people. Besides, we have encouraged officials at all levels and volunteers to participate in the rescue and relief work and make the work go smoothly and in good order" ，said Qumu Shima

In addition, all-out efforts have been made to repair damaged roads, the power supply and telecom facilities.

However, four aftershocks with magnitudes of over three were observed in Jiuzhaigou County on Thursday. 

The aftershocks have triggered landslides in the mountainous region. 

Fu Ling, commander of the armed police traffic team, explains the measures adopted.

"The repair work turned out to be quite difficult, as huge rocks can only be smashed instead of being exploded. Also, large amounts of debris left by landslides blocked the road and it is impossible to clear up for the time being. We have to open alternative routes while paying attention to the falling rocks from high up. We have also adopted many traffic control measures", said Fu Ling

Drones and radar facilities have also been employed for better safety.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, traffic on major roads linking the quake zone in Jiuzhaigou County with Mianyang City in Sichuan and adjacent Guizhou Province has resumed

In Xinjiang, all 32 injured people have received medical treatment in hospital after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Jinghe County on Wednesday morning.

Doctor Wei Feng with Jinghe County People's Hospital says the patients are in stable condition.

"We've just done a surgery on a patient to repair his broken ankle. Now the patient is in stable condition and the surgery is successful. Another 12 patients suffered mainly spinal fractures or leg fractures. We've properly treated them and now they're in stable condition," said Wei Feng.

The earthquake collapsed over 140 houses and damaged more than 1-thousand others in Xinjiang.

The Ministry of Finance has announced that the central government has allocated 180 million yuan for the earthquake relief in Sichuan and Xinjiang.