Oxfam HK- Emergency Appeal for Yunnan Earthquake
(27th March 2011)
On March 10, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Yingjiang County in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The disaster close to the border of Myanmar has resulted in 25 fatalities and more than 250 people injured including 134 seriously. Over 127,100 residents were evacuated. The quake hit while many people, including students, were home for a customary midday siesta.
The mountainous area lies 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) southwest of Beijing, is home to many ethnic groups on both sides of the border, which sees heavy traffic in people and goods. The quake-prone region has been hit by more than 1,000 minor tremors over the past two months.
Images from the scene showed buildings that buckled, crushing their lower floors. Police, firefighters and soldiers rushed to the area to pull out people trapped in the rubble, including a man and girl stuck in the stairwell of a four-story building. Parts of a supermarket and a hotel caved in, while sidewalks were lined with injured people on blankets.
The quake's epicenter was in Shiming Village, just over a mile (two kilometers) from the county seat, but triggered a power outage across Yingjiang. Tremors continued to be felt in the area throughout the afternoon and evening.
Over 344,600 residents in the five counties have been affected, including those in Longchuan, Lianghe, Ruili and Luxi. It has destroyed over 18,445 residential buildings, leaving 55,345 others seriously damaged.
Local health departments dispatched a team of 60 people to sterilize the quake-stricken region, especially the shelters, to prevent epidemic outbreaks and 700 medical staff were on the ground to treat the injured.
Many thanks to:
•Wing Yip supermarkets, Birmingham Chinatown & Arcadian and Birmingham Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC) for the use of their premises.
•Donation of £150 GBP and support from Birmingham Chinatown Lions Club
•Donation of £300 GBP from Chung Ying Garden Restaurant
• Dr Ricky Sham for overseeing cash handling and directly transfer the funds to Oxfam HK via electronic transfer
Donations to this cause can be made via bank deposit (at Bank of China or Bank of East Asia only) to
Oxfam HK a/c 012-874-0-010516-0 (Ref: Bham-UK fundraiser)
THIS EVENT RAISED: £2150.00 GBP
Oxfam HK website: http://oxfam.org.hk/en/emergencies.aspx
