a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region five years ago. Firefighters helped by search dogs have pulled 91 people alive from the rubble, Xinhua reported, citing the Ministry of Public Security.
"The current priority is to save lives," said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who arrived Saturday afternoon by helicopter in Ya'an to direct rescue efforts, Xinhua reported.
Tens of thousands of people moved into tents or cars as aftershocks - more than 1,100 so far - continued to jolt the region. Some rescue teams have had to contend with roads blocked by debris, and one military vehicle carrying 17 troops plummeted over a cliff on Saturday, killing one soldier and injuring seven others.
The earthquake struck at 8:02 a.m. local time (0002 UTC) on Saturday in Lushan county, near Ya’an city. China's earthquake authority measured the quake at a magnitude of 7.0, while the US Geological Survey recorded it at 6.6.
‘Maximum Support'
Frequently hit by earthquakes itself - including one Sunday morning tremor measured at 6.1 by the US Geological Survey - Japan said it would put aside a territorial dispute involving two islands in the East China Sea to give assistance if needed.
Japan is ready to offer its maximum support," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.
According to the ministry, China responded that it did not need any overseas assistance at the moment but that it would contact Japan if that changes.
Saturday's quake happened along the same fault line where a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake in 2008 left more than 70,000 people dead or missing and presumed dead in one of China's worst natural disasters in recent decades.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, center, shakes hands with one of rescuers as he visits a site damaged by an earthquake at a village in Lushan county, Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, April 20, 2013. The powerful earthquake struck the steep hills of China's southwestern Sichuan province Saturday, nearly five years after a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT
"The current priority is to save lives," said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who arrived Saturday afternoon by helicopter in Ya'an to direct rescue efforts, Xinhua reported.
Tens of thousands of people moved into tents or cars as aftershocks - more than 1,100 so far - continued to jolt the region. Some rescue teams have had to contend with roads blocked by debris, and one military vehicle carrying 17 troops plummeted over a cliff on Saturday, killing one soldier and injuring seven others.
The earthquake struck at 8:02 a.m. local time (0002 UTC) on Saturday in Lushan county, near Ya’an city. China's earthquake authority measured the quake at a magnitude of 7.0, while the US Geological Survey recorded it at 6.6.
‘Maximum Support'
Frequently hit by earthquakes itself - including one Sunday morning tremor measured at 6.1 by the US Geological Survey - Japan said it would put aside a territorial dispute involving two islands in the East China Sea to give assistance if needed.
Japan is ready to offer its maximum support," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.
According to the ministry, China responded that it did not need any overseas assistance at the moment but that it would contact Japan if that changes.
Saturday's quake happened along the same fault line where a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake in 2008 left more than 70,000 people dead or missing and presumed dead in one of China's worst natural disasters in recent decades.
6 of 9
Play All
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, center, shakes hands with one of rescuers as he visits a site damaged by an earthquake at a village in Lushan county, Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, April 20, 2013. The powerful earthquake struck the steep hills of China's southwestern Sichuan province Saturday, nearly five years after a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT
