(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-14 07:33

All the giant pandas in captivity in quake-hit Sichuan province remained unscathed, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) said on Tuesday.

So far, none of all the 144 giant pandas in Wolong, Chengdu and neighboring Shaanxi reserve centers have been injured, according to the administration.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Wenchuan county struck Sichuan on Monday at 2:28 pm, sending tremors throughout the country.

Wenchuan's surrounding region is a major forest zone with many nature reserves, of which there are 39 designated areas for protecting giant pandas, the "national treasure" of the country.

The Wolong area reportedly became isolated from the rest of the country following the quake.

Telecommunications in Wolong remained cut while roads to its mountain areas were still blocked at press time.

The SFA said it has set up a rescue team led by its head, Jia Zhibang, to direct rescue work in the area.

Large-scale rescue teams have reportedly been mobilized and sent out from provincial capital Chengdu to Wolong, where rescuers traversed steep mountain roads and faced heavy rains yesterday to reach their destination.

The administration said 2 million yuan ($286,500) have been earmarked to pay for relief supplies in the affected reserves.

However, casualties of people in Wolong areas are unavailable yesterday due to a lack of information from the local government.

A reporter from China Daily also went to the center on an organized interview tour over the weekend.

She lost contact with her editors after the quake.

Lu Lin, head of the 12-member tour and an employee from the Beijing Wiselight Consulting Co Ltd, has also been unreachable.

One of Lu's colleagues, surnamed Wan, said she failed to get contact with Lu by her cell phone.