Medical and rescue teams from the government of the province and Ganzi Prefecture have arrived at the site and begun to work. The number of rescuers now totals 21,000.

A team headed by Sichuan Governor Zhang Zhongwei was also on its way to the disaster areas at press time.

The latest figures from the prefecture rescue headquarters show that nearly 50,000 people in Kangding, Yajiang, Jiulong and two other counties have been affected by the quake, which measured 6.0 on the Richter scale.

Three people died and 109 were injured, while seven are still missing.

More than 60,000 houses were damaged, of which 23,900 were completely destroyed.

In Yajiang County, about 70 to 80 percent of the houses are cracked, with about 1,000 people now living in tents.

Telecommunications to three of the four worst-hit towns have been restored.

The provincial seismological bureau has dispatched four work teams to the quake-hit areas to monitor aftershocks.

Local armed police and soldiers have been mobilized to help transport and distribute rescue materials to the victims.

About 2,000 quilts, 5,000 garments, three tons of instant food, 600 tents and 120,000-yuan worth of drugs and medical instruments have arrived in the quake-struck areas, while more materials are on the way.

A medical team from this provincial capital and another from Ganzi Prefecture are already working in Yajiang and Kangding counties, respectively.

Sichuan's Communist Party head Zhou Yongkang called another meeting Sunday morning, with the participation of seismological, civil affairs and disaster relief officials to coordinate the rescue work.

The top priority is to transport the rescue materials to the disaster-stricken areas, and distribute them to the victims as soon as possible, he said.

He also ordered the medical and health authorities to do their best to treat the injured and prevent the spread of epidemics.

(Xinhua 02/26/2001)