The death toll from the magnitude-6.1 earthquake that struck Yunnan on Sunday has climbed to 589 people. Rescuers are still battling to pass through landslides and blocked routes in order to reach survivors still trapped under the rubble while 2,400 people are injured and 230,000 people are in need of homes. 81,000 houses completely collapsed in the earthquake while another 500,000 were damaged.
Search efforts in Lontoushan are centered around a 600-meter region in the township’s central urban area.
Non-professional volunteers were advised against entering the zone of the earthquake by themselves whereas 18,000 professional rescuers are working in the area.
The region is prone to earthquakes with a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killing at least 15,000 people in 1970. In September 2012, a series of earthquakes killed 81 people. In May 2008, a powerful earthquake in the Sichuan province left nearly 90,000 people dead.
Video – Relatives are mourning the deaths:
