Leaders pause in silent tribute for quake victims

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, April 24, 2013
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China's top leadership yesterday paid silent tribute to the victims of the earthquake that jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday.

An elderly woman carries a bamboo basket on her back filled with cartons of biscuits and water as she and fellow villagers trudge up a rugged mountain path to bring relief supplies to more than 2,000 residents in Shifeng, a village in Lushan County.

An elderly woman carries a bamboo basket on her back filled with cartons of biscuits and water as she and fellow villagers trudge up a rugged mountain path to bring relief supplies to more than 2,000 residents in Shifeng, a village in Lushan County. 

Seven members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Political Bureau were meeting in Beijing to discuss rescue and relief work.

The Chinese government will continue searching for survivors and try its best to help the injured, said a statement issued after the meeting, presided over by President Xi Jinping.

"Life is most valuable. We will mobilize rescuers to search door to door and make sure no corner is left," the statement said.

It pledged the country would try its best to save injured people and provide them with immediate medical treatment.

Those seriously hurt would be transferred to hospitals with better facilities.

"We will by all means avoid death caused by injuries and reduce the number of people disabled by injuries," the statement said.

It stressed that earthquake relief was at a critical moment and should be considered a top priority. The government will take up more effective measures and minimize losses, it said.

The top leadership called for national unity and courage in the fight against the devastation caused by the earthquake.

"Calamities always help to make a nation stronger. The more difficult situations we face, the more we need to boost the national cohesiveness and the courage to face up to hardships and dangers," the statement said.

"As long as we are prepared and united, we will be fully capable to deal with all complex situations and overcome every potential difficulty," it added.

The latest toll is 193 dead, 25 missing and 12,211 injured.

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