Over 100 dead, thousands injured in China quake(2)

RESCUE UNDERWAY

The hardest-hit areas are in the townships of Longmen and Qingren, said Jin Zelin, an official with the provincial armed police corps.

"At least 24 people have died and 300 are injured, of whom 50 seriously, in Longmen town," a township government official told Xinhua.

"Old houses in Gucheng village with a population of 3,000 totally collapsed. More than 95 percent of the houses in the village are not fit for living in," he said.

Vehicles damaged by rolling rocks were seen in Lushan. Houses along a street in the Lushan county seat have also collapsed. Helicopters are hovering, according to Xinhua reporters at the scene.

Patients are receiving medical treatment on the ground in front of the Lushan County Hospital.

More than 500 people are injured, 135 seriously, said Le Zhiyong, deputy head of the hospital.

Three townships of Taiping, Baosheng and Dachuan in Lushan county are out of the contact. The water and electricity supply in the county has been cut off due to the quake. Most of the buildings in the old urban area of Lushan county and Longmen township collapsed in the quake, according to the local government's statement.

Landslides have blocked traffic in many places across the county and two barrier lakes caused by the landslides are posing risks for the rescue efforts, it said.

About 2,000 rescuers organized by the county government are working in nine towns, it said.

Bifeng Gorge base, a panda research base affiliated to the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center which is only 47 km from the epicenter, has no reports of human or panda casualties, said Yu Xiaoying, a staff member with the Wolong center.

Huang Qiqun was working at the first floor of a bamboo weaving factory in Longmen township when the earthquake destroyed the building.

Huang, in his 40s, was dug out of the debris by his colleagues and sent to hospital by motorbike, his daughter told Xinhua. Huang is suffering from a head injury.

Multiple temporary settlements with food and water supplies have been established in the county seat, Xinhua reporters said.

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake jolted the border areas between the counties of Lushan and Tianquan at about 11:34 a.m., the strongest aftershock after the 7.0-magnitude quake, according to the provincial seismological bureau.

About 3,870 armed police have arrived in Lushan county to assist with rescue efforts.