Beijing leads country in early quake warning

Beijing will incorporate earthquake warning systems in major infrastructure and crowded places to minimize damage and casualties.

The systems will be included in major infrastructure projects, such as high-speed railways, urban railways, power control centers, oil and gas pipeline stations, petrochemical and communication enterprises, coal mines, large reservoirs and other projects that may risk serious secondary disasters.

Devices used for receiving and broadcasting the warning information will be installed in schools, hospitals, railway stations, airports, sports venues and other public places, as well as in nuclear facilities, large reservoirs, large and medium-sized dangerous goods production and storage facilities and other risky sites.

"Operating or administrative units should formulate earthquake early warning and emergency response plans," said Liu Bin, deputy director of the Beijing Emergency Management Bureau, at a news conference on Friday.

Broadcasters, including television, internet and other media and communication operations should establish automatic mechanism to transmit early warning information to the public automatically and free of charge.

So far, Beijing has installed 64 receiving terminals for earthquake early warning information in some pilot schools. The terminals can disseminate disaster prevention and mitigation knowledge in normal times and issue earthquake warnings in emergencies.

Meanwhile, Beijing is taking part in the construction of a nationwide intensity reporting and warning system.

Wang Songsong contributed to this story.