More than 100 dead, thousands homeless after 6.6M earthquake shakes Sichuan province

Ya’an, China, 20 Apr 2013 – Humanitarian agency World Vision is responding to a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that jolted SichuanProvince in central China this morning. State media is reporting more than 100 people are confirmed dead and 2,200 injured. Reports of collapsed buildings are emerging. Tens of thousands are affected and the total is rising as communication increases. 

“We will be distributing hygiene kits and child friendly kits to those who are homeless,” says Meimei Leung, the head of emergency response at World Vision China. “Our pre-positioned relief supplies allows for our response to meet the needs of children and their families as quickly as possible.”

The government has rushed more than 6,000 soldiers to the area for rescue and relief work. In additional, the provincial authorities have deployed more than 200 medical workers in 15 teams to provide emergency medical assistance to quake-affected communities.

“While there are no current reports of damage within World Vision’s target working areas, the organization is committed to responding to the needs of the most affected, especially children,” Leung says.

World Vision has a 40-year history of responding to natural disasters in China and helping survivors recover to life as normal.

In 2008, World Vision played a leading role in responding to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that killed 70,000 people and directly helped an estimated 2.2 million survivors return to normal life. The 57 million US dollar response focused on education, health, housing, community infrastructure and livelihood development projects.