Relief supplies sent to quake-hit Sichuan

The Ministry of Emergency Response has allocated 1,000 cotton tents to the quake zone in Xingwen county, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The tents, which were from the relief material repository of the central government in Chengdu, have been sent to the county, where there is rain and snow, according to the ministry.

A magnitude-5.7 earthquake occurred in Xingwen, a county under the administration of Yibin, at 12:46 pm on Sunday.

By 7:30 am on Monday, 17 people who were slightly injured were sent to a hospital for treatment. Six have been discharged from the hospital.

Rescue missions and relief operations were deployed promptly by the Ministry of Emergency Management after the earthquake. The Sichuan fire brigade mobilized 325 people Xingwen for rescue earlier on Monday, and a total of 1,229 people were evacuated from the epicenter.

Seven damaged communication stations have been repaired, and it was confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that the earthquake did not have large impact on Sichuan's communications network.

After a check by the local railway department, railway service resumed at 4:20 pm on Sunday. Postal and express businesses also are operating normally.

The China Earthquake Administration has launched on-site investigations and intensified assessments to the area hit by the earthquake.

Aybek Askhar contributed to this story.