Roads to China's quake epicenter reopen traffic to rescue vehicles

CHENGDU - From Wednesday morning, after emergency repairs, rescue vehicles can access seven major rural roads leading to the epicenter of the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Southwest China's Sichuan province Monday.

Thirteen people died and nearly 200 others were injured in the disaster as of around 4 pm Tuesday.

The Sichuan Provincial Department of Transport has sent 24 rescue teams to check 1,300 km expressways, 600 km national and provincial roads, 187 bridges and 44 tunnels leading to the disaster-stricken areas in Changning county of Yibin city, and carry out emergency repairs.

The department said the roads in the area were damaged seriously and were hit by several post-quake landslides. Emergency traffic control measures have been taken to prohibit the passage of social vehicles to the area.

The S443 and S436, two major expressways to the epicenter, still have several sections of road subsidence, which need safety inspections and re-evaluation before reopening.