GETTING OVER TRAUMA: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (center) offers consolation to a boy who evacuated with his family from their earthquake-devastated home, along the route of Li's walk to Longquan Village (YAO DAWEI)

Located in a poverty-stricken area, Ludian is a county on the national list of poverty relief work. According to official figures, Ludian has an average population density of 265 people per square km, twice the provincial average.

In addition, the shallowness of the quake, which occurred at a depth of only 12 km, made the earthquake particularly catastrophic and added to the likelihood of secondary disasters such as landslides, as it is currently experiencing the rainy season, the statement added.

Quick response

In his instructions issued on the evening of August 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered that authorities give top priority to saving people's lives, minimizing casualties and guaranteeing a proper settlement for quake victims.

The first batch of rescuers arrived at Longtoushan Township, the site of the epicenter, on the evening the quake occurred. They said that about 90 percent of wood, earth and brick houses in Longquan Village, the worst hit village in the quake, had collapsed.

Rescue teams freed scores of trapped survivors as they dug through the thousands of homes that collapsed. A 5-year-old boy freed on August 4 was among the 200 people rescued by the armed forces in the first two days.

In a "miracle" rescue, an 84-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of his own home by rescuers on August 6 after being buried for 67 hours.

Relief work had been carried out soon, despite continuous downpours and quake-triggered landslides. Rescuers timely evacuated people threatened by barrier lakes created by post-earthquake landslides.

Only hours after the earthquake, civilian donations were pouring in from other parts of China and people were volunteering to help in the rescue.