MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice
Premier Hui Liangyu Thursday assured quake victims that the injured will receive
"timely treatment", and at the same time he warned local governments of the
dangers of damaged reservoirs.
Hui, also deputy head of the disaster relief
headquarters, Thursday visited Mianyang city in southwestern Sichuan Province
which suffered the most casualty in Monday's earthquake.
He visited local hospitals and extended his care for
the injured people. He urged rescuers to do their utmost to save lives and try
every method to evacuate the badly injured for proper and timely treatment.
The government will have medical workers in place and
improve public hygiene to avoid epidemic outbreaks, he said.
Several reservoirs were affected by the earthquake,
Hui said, asking local governments to strictly serve their duty to check the
conditions of reservoirs and prevent secondary disasters.
His warning was backed up by Minister of Water
Resources Chen Lei. He said on Thursday that Sichuan had a large number of
reservoirs, many of which had sustained significant but still unknown damage
during Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake.
He suggested that local administrations study and
judge potential dangers at these facilities by analyzing satellite and other
aerial images and evacuate downstream residents, if necessary.
Hui also promised that more rescue teams will rush to
the quake-hit regions, especially remote villages.
By Thursday afternoon, about 19,509 people were
confirmed dead in Sichuan and the total casualty is estimated to be 50,000. And
rescuers have saved 60,000 injured victims.