Tents, quilts and clothes are urgently needed in Ya'an amid aftershocks and a landslide warning.

The earthquake affected 1.5 million people in 13 cities or autonomous prefectures in Sichuan, the Department of Civil Affairs of Sichuan province said.

Authorities said the quake-hit areas were in urgent need of tarpaulins, clothes, lighting and waterproof clothing.

Meanwhile, Lushan and Baoxing counties, the quake's epicenter, are facing "a real possibility of landslides in the next few days," the China Meteorological Administration said.

As of 6 pm Saturday, 44 aftershocks larger than magnitude 3 on the Richter scale had occurred, with 13 temblors registering between 4 and 4.9 on the Richter scale and two between 5 and 5.9, according to the networks center.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs dispatched 30,000 tents and 50,000 quilts to quake-hit areas. However, the provincial authority estimates it still needs another 70,000 quilts.

In addition, water, instant noodles, baby formula and women's goods are urgently needed, the city government of Ya'an said on its micro blog.

The Sichuan provincial government has sent a rescue team of more than 2,000 specialists, including firefighters, armed police and reserve soldiers, to the epicenter, the provincial civil affairs authority said.

More than 2,600 People's Liberation Army soldiers from the Chengdu Military Area Command also joined search-and-rescue operations.

- Xu Wei

(China Daily 04/21/2013 page2)