Over 6,000 soldiers, aircraft deployed to quake-hit Sichuan

Source : Shanghai Daily

CHINESE authorities have deployed more than 6,000 military and armed police soldiers and several aircraft to the area hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province to help with rescue and relief efforts.

About 2,000 soldiers from Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) were rushing to the epicenter, while two helicopters were tasked with finding out more about the situation on the ground.

Another rescue team with about 220 soldiers from a PLA Air Force unit in Sichuan have also been dispatched to the quake-hit area.

About 800 soldiers with 120 professional rescue vehicles have arrived in the quake-hit area, and a unit of 50 soldiers with six excavating vehicles has arrived in Lushan county, epicenter of the quake.

According to local government, another unit of about 50 military reserve members has arrived at Longmen town, a mountainous region in Lushan county seriously jolted by the quake.

China's People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) has dispatched 3,900 officers and soldiers from its contingent stationed in Sichuan Province, and so far 2,600 of them have arrived at six towns in the quake-hit area to carry out rescue and relief work.

The Air Force Commander General Ma Xiaotian, who was overseeing the Air Force's units in the southwest, suspended his official trip and has set up an Air Force headquarter for quake relief in Sichuan's Qionglai county.

The Air Force Command also scrambled two reconnaissance aircraft from Beijing at 10:08 a.m. and 11:42 a.m. Saturday to take aerial photographs over the quake-hit area in Sichuan.

A transport aircraft was scrambled to Kunming of southwest Yunnan Province from where it will take a national rescue and relief team and transport it to the quake-hit area.

The Chengdu MAC has already set up a quake relief and rescue headquarters and the MAC's air force troops are ready to dispatch quake-relief teams to the epicenter.

The MAC has also set up medical aid, transport and engineering teams to assist in the quake-hit region.

Earthquake Suggests Nuclear Test in North Korea

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 12 (RIA Novosti) -An earthquake shook North Korea on Tuesday, prompting reports of a possible nuclear test, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry estimates the power of the presumed blast at 10 Kiloton,

Seismic activity has been detected in North Korea with a 5.0-magnitude earthquake at 11:58 a.m Korean time (02:58 GMT) on Tuesday. The tremor might indicate a nuclear test as earthquakes are rare in North Korea.

The quake’s epicenter was only one km deep, and was close to the North's known nuclear test site.

Yonhap quoted the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) as saying that the seismic event in North Korea showed “clear explosion-like characteristics.”

"The event shows clear explosion-like characteristics and its location is roughly congruent with the 2006 and 2009 DPRK (North Korea) nuclear tests," CTBTO Executive Secretary Tibor Toth said in a statement.

North Korea gave the United States and China an advance notice of conducting a nuclear test the day before, Yonhap said.

The U.N. Security Council will convene for an emergency meeting at 14:00 GMT.

North Korea vowed on January 23 to strengthen its military capabilities and step up its controversial nuclear program. The announcement came as a response to the UN Security Council’s new sanctions on the country over the December rocket launch.

The article was posted at 08:08 and updated on 8:29 to recast and add information in para 6, 8 background in para 9

15 injured, 2,000 homes damaged in Colombia quake

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

BOGOTA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were injured and about 2,000 homes destroyed or damaged by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake which shook southwest Colombia Saturday, national relief agencies said Sunday.

None of the people were seriously injured, said the relief agency. However, 100 homes were completely destroyed while some 1, 900 homes sustained damages.

Most of the injuries and house damage occurred in the provinces of Narino and Cauca, Carlos Iva Marquez, director of the National Disaster Management Office, told RCN Radio.

"The injured are recovering," said Marquez, adding "the provinces of Narino, Cauca, Risaralda and Quindio have priority as recovery efforts advance."

Marquez said a healthcare center and 10 schools were among those damaged, and the authorities are continuing to monitor the situation.

"I would like to confirm that there have been no deaths or missing persons, and there are no reports of serious damage," he said.

According to the United States Geologic Service (USGS), the quake hit at 9:16 am local time (14:16 GMT) Saturday, registering 6.9 on the Richter scale.

The quake occurred at a depth of more than 129 kilometers, and its epicenter was located in a rural region of southwest Narino called Ospina. Tremors were felt in 11 different provinces including capital Bogota, as well as parts of neighboring Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela