In pictures: Sichuan quake

  • Published
People walk along a damaged road in Baosheng, Lushan, Sichuan province, China (21 April 2013)
Image caption,

Rural residents in China's Sichuan province are counting the cost of Saturday's earthquake, which wrecked houses and flattened some villages.

Image caption,

At least 207 people are dead or missing after the quake, which had a magnitude of 6.6.

Image caption,

Aid workers have struggled to get through to the most remote areas, but they have managed to deliver blankets, tents and emergency supplies to the main urban areas.

Image caption,

There are reports of rescuers and thousands of volunteers trying to reach the region being stuck in long queues.

Image caption,

Some of the most remote areas, including Baoxing County, have been virtually cut off - rescuers have had to travel in by foot to help survivors.

Image caption,

The quake struck at 08:02 local time (00:02 GMT) on Saturday, flattening villages near the epicentre.

Image caption,

Around 11,500 people were injured as a result of the quake, some 1,000 of them seriously, severely stretching medical services.

Image caption,

In Lushan county, the worst affected area, people were being treated in the open air.

Image caption,

People who have lost their homes, or are too afraid to go back indoors, have set up temporary shelters amid the debris.

Image caption,

On Saturday, the government mobilised thousands of troops and rescuers to cope with the disaster, which came five years after a major quake killed tens of thousands of people in Sichuan.

Image caption,

There have been more than 1,000 aftershocks across the region, raising fears of further landslides.

Image caption,

Premier Li Keqiang flew to Sichuan on Saturday, saying the first 24 hours after a quake was the "golden time" for saving lives and promising the government would pay medical costs.