Press Releases & Updates - Latest News - Oxfam Hong Kong
Skip to main content
Start main content

Press Releases & Updates

28 JUN 2012

Oxfam delivers emergency supplies to Yunnan quake survivors

International aid agency Oxfam is delivering emergency supplies to the people worst-hit by a magnitude 5.7 earthquake which rocked the border of Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces earlier  after a rapid assessment on the ground.

In worst-affected Laluowan Village, most houses, which are built with soil and wood, have been severely damaged or completely destroyed. The chill at night has also left residents in urgent need of tents, tarpaulins and quilts.

According to local authorities, the emergency supplies that they have received so far are insufficient since they are in a remote location, making transportation difficult. Therefore, Oxfam has decided to dispatch emergency materials from its Yunnan storehouse in Kunming – quilts, water-resistant tarpaulins to cover the roofs and protect the houses from the rain, and hygiene kits – so as to provide immediate relief to the survivors.

The earthquake striking the border of Yongning County of Yunnan Province and Yanyuan County of Sichuan Province at 3:59 p.m. on 24 June affected over 70,000 people and toppled more than 3,800 houses. Oxfam contacted the staff of the Poverty Alleviation Office of Yunnan Province immediately after the quake, and together they arrived in Laluowan Village the following day to conduct assessment for timely assistance.