China: relief efforts continue in quake-stricken province

(Vatican Radio) people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck China's Sichuan province at the weekend. Aid is reaching the disaster zone, although some survivors report difficulty obtaining what they need. Survivors are building tent cities now in neighbourhoods where state agencies and the Chinese Red Cross have provided tents and medical care. Private donors such as telecommunications companies are providing power and mobile phone charging stations. Listen to this report from Alastair Wanklyn:

Helicopters are reportedly assessing the damage from the air more intensively now than after a previous earthquake which struck the same region five years ago. Some survivors say the aid effort is still not reaching everyone. Some survivors said they went two days or more until they received instant noodles, and in some villages there are reports of residents lacking any clean drinking water. China's government says the aid effort is in hand, and it has rejected offers of help from foreign nations.

It is even asking private Chinese donors -- those who have packed their car with supplies -- to stay away from the disaster zone, to reduce congestion on damaged roads. After the quake in 2008, there was widespread criticism of the government's preparation and response; this time, a state newspaper has praised the response, calling it "more mature", and ahead of what other countries can offer their people.