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1. China finds missing helicopter, bodies of passengers, crew near quake epicenter town
2. China quake death toll rises to 69,146.
3. Flood from main quake lake passes Mianyang City safely.
4. Chinese FM expects EU cooperation to promote bilateral ties.
1. China finds missing helicopter, bodies of passengers, crew near quake epicenter town
Searchers have found the remains of the missing Chinese helicopter and people on board in the mountains near the quake epicenter town Yingxiu, according to a military source here Tuesday.
The debris of the Mi-171 helicopter was found in the bushes northwest of Yingxiu Township at 10:55 a.m. Tuesday. Militia and reservists mobilized by the Chengdu Military Area Command found the missing chopper.
Five members of the crew and 14 quake victims were all found dead. The helicopter broke up with its parts including the propeller, airframe and empennage found scattered in the bushes.
Based on the degree of the severe damage and the surrounding terrain, the helicopter might have hit a mountain before it crashed, according to an official with the relief headquarters of the Chengdu Military Area Command.
The military camouflage of the helicopter made the debris hardly visible to the naked eye, military sources said, adding the thick forest and bushes in the mountainous areas, along with aftershock-triggered landslides, also hampered searching efforts.
President Hu Jintao on Tuesday afternoon expressed condolences for the crew and people on board the helicopter, and sent his sympathies to the families of the dead.
Hu, also the Central Military Commission chairman, at the same time expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the search teams, including the troops, militia and reservists.
He urged people to study the heroic deeds and lofty spirit of the military men, and work hard to achieve an all-around victory in the quake-relief work.
Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)
2. China quake death toll rises to 69,146
The death toll of China's May 12 earthquake increased by four overnight to 69,146 as of Tuesday noon, the State Council Information Office said.
A total of 374,072 people were injured and 17,516 others remained missing after the 8.0-magnitude quake that jolted southwestern Sichuan Province and neighboring regions about a month ago.
Hospitals had treated 95,252 injured people as of Tuesday noon, of whom 76,853 had been discharged and 15,802 were still being treated.
By Monday, nearly 1.39 million quake survivors had been found and evacuated.
The government disaster relief fund had reached 23.46 billion yuan (about 3.35 billion U.S. dollars), including 18.91 billion yuan from the central budget and 4.55 billion yuan from the local budget.
Relief supplies continued to pour into the quake zone. As of Sunday noon, one million tents, 4.76 million quilts, 13.97 million garments, 885,700 tonnes of fuel oil and 1.89 million tonnes of coal had been sent.
The office said as of Monday, relief workers had built 68,100 temporary houses and another 23,400 were being installed, while the material for 91,200 makeshift houses had arrived in the affected areas.
As of Tuesday noon, domestic and foreign donations had reached 44.43 billion yuan in cash and goods, among which 13.75 billion yuan had been forwarded to the quake-hit areas.
In the 24 hours ending Tuesday noon, 186 aftershocks were monitored in the quake zone, according to the China Earthquake Administration.
One of the tremors measured between 5.0-5.9 and all the others measured at or below 3.9 magnitude, the administration said.
A total of 11,380 aftershocks have been detected in the quake areas since May 12.
As of Tuesday noon, 5,994 water plants and 40,058.3 kilometers of water supply pipelines had been repaired, according to the office.
The quake had damaged 8,114 water plants and 47,642.5 kilometers of water supply channels.
As of Tuesday noon, power was still cut off in 18 townships in quake-hit areas, the office said.
Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)
3. Flood from main quake lake passes Mianyang City safely
The crest of the flood from China's main Tangjiashan "quake lake" passed safely by downstream Mianyang City, Xinhua reporters witnessed on Tuesday afternoon.
There were between 300,000 and 400,000 people left in the city when the crest passed, said Tan Li, the city's Communist Party chief and also its Quake Control and Relief Headquarters head.
More than 250,000 people in low-lying areas had been relocated under a plan based on the assumption that one-third of the lake volume breached the dam.
Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)
4. Chinese FM expects EU cooperation to promote bilateral ties
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Monday that China expects the close cooperation with relevant parties in the European Union to promote the development of Sino-EU relations.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the EU troika and China, Yang said that the China was willing to contribute to the world peace and sports civilization along with the EU and the two sides should make joint efforts to ensure the success of the Beijing Olympics.
Yang said China stands firmly against the politicizing of the Olympics and appreciates the EU's stand that is against the boycott of the Olympics.
The EU is a major driving force to boost the Asia-Europe cooperation, said Yang, adding that China is ready to cooperate with the EU to successfully carry out the 7th Asia-Europe summit, which will be held in October in Beijing.
As to political dialogues between China and the EU, Yang said China is committed to conduct the bilateral political dialogues of different levels and strive for substantial results out of those dialogues.
The Chinese minister said that the two sides should respect the major concerns of the other side and properly resolve their differences through dialogues and consultations so that the Sino-EU ties would continue developing on a right track.
The EU troika was headed by Dimitrij Rupel, the Slovenian foreign minister and president of the EU General Affairs and Foreign Relations Council.
Stressing that the world was facing numerous challenges, Rupel said that constructive solutions required close cooperation while the current challenges "demand a joint response from the EU and China", according to a statement by the Slovenian EU presidency.
Apart from Rupel, the EU delegation included the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the State Secretary in charge of Cooperation and Francophony at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alain Joyandet, who represents the upcoming French EU presidency in the second half of this year.
Rupel will meet his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi again on Tuesday for a working breakfast before Yang's departure after a less than 24-hour visit.
Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)
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