Multiple quakes hit SW China, killing 64

Multiple quakes hit SW China, killing¹ 64

 ZHAOTONG, Yunnan, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sixty-four people have been confirmed dead and 715 others injured after multiple earthquakes struck a mountainous region in southwest China on Friday, authorities said.

A statement by the civil affairs department of Yunnan province said 63 people died in Yiliang county and another died in the Zhaoyang district of the city of Zhaotong, which also administers Yiliang.

Two quakes measuring 5.7 and 5.6 on the Richter scale hit a border area near Yiliang county in Yunnan and Weining county in Guizhou province at 11:19 a.m. and 12:16 p.m. Friday, respectively.

The quakes have cut off electricity and triggered landslides² that have blocked roads, creating complications for rescuers.

Yunnan's civil affairs department said the quakes destroyed 6,650 houses and damaged 430,000 others. More than 100,000 residents have been evacuated⁴ and 100,000 others are in need of relocation.

Yunnan has initiated⁵ a level-one emergency response to the quakes. The Red Cross Society of China has dispatched 650 tents and 3,000 quilts to the disaster-hit region.

The Chengdu Military Area Command in southwest China said it has sent 1,300 soldiers equipped with relief materials to join rescue efforts.

Officials in Guizhou said two people were injured and lives of nearly 28,000 people were disrupted in Weining county. Eighteen houses were toppled and more than 10,000 houses were damaged in the quakes.

MINING COMMUNITY DESTROYED

"The hardest part of the rescue will be handling traffic," said Li Fuchun, head of Luozehe township, Yiliang. "Roads are blocked and rescuers have to climb mountains to reach hard-hit villages."

Li said the number of casualties might be high, although it will be impossible to assess until rescuers reach more remote areas.

Xinhua reporters in Luozehe saw large rocks, some as tall as four meters, tumbling down mountain slopes and crushing houses and cars.

A settlement established near a zinc⁶ mine in Luozehe was seriously damaged. More than two dozen mining families were forced to evacuate³.

"It is scary. My brother was killed by falling rocks. The aftershocks have struck again and again. We are so scared," said miner Peng Zhuwen.

Retired⁷ miner Liu Linde, 62, said he was thrown three meters off the road when the quake struck.

"When I returned, the door to my home had collapsed⁸. Cracks were everywhere on the walls," Liu said.

POOR AND POPULOUS⁹ AREA

The quake-stricken area is relatively¹⁰ populous, which may result in heavier casualties, noted¹¹ Huangfu Gang, director of Yunnan's seismological bureau.

The area's population density¹² is estimated to be 205 people per square km, nearly twice the figure for the whole province, Huangfu said.

He said homes and buildings in the relatively poor region were not built strongly enough to resist the destructive power of a violent earthquake.

The mountainous terrain¹³ also made the quake more devastating¹⁴, as landslides were more easily triggered, the expert added.

Zhaotong, with a population of about 5.6 million, is prone¹⁵ to geological disasters. A magnitude-5.6 earthquake in 2003 killed four people and injured 594 in Ludian county. In 2010, rain-triggered landslides left 45 dead or missing in Qiaojia county.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

4 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

5 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

6 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

9 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

13 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

14 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

15 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。