UN chief visits epicentre of Chinese earthquake
Saturday, 24 May 2008 15:31
UN chief visits survivers of Chinese earthquake
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United Nations (UN) secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has travelled to the epicentre of the earthquake that has killed tens of thousand of people in China.
Mr Ban met with victims of the natural disaster and praised the Chinese authorities for their swift reaction to the scale of the problem.
"The Chinese government, at the early stage of this natural disaster, has invested strenuous effort and demonstrated extraordinary leadership," he said.
The UN chief arrived by helicopter in what remains of the small town of Yingxiu, which is believed to have lost as many of two-thirds of its inhabitants when the quake struck on May 12th.
Chinese leader Wen Jiabao told Mr Ban that the death toll in China has now exceeded 60,000 and could rise as high as 80,000.
Another Chinese official revealed this week that around 50 different sources of radiation are now thought to have been buried under the rubble.
Environment vice-minister Wu Xiaoqing said that while 35 of these sources had been secured another 15 remained buried under debris.
He confirmed that there had been no leakage of radioactive substances.
Experts say the radiation is most likely to have come from factories, hospitals or research facilities, rather than weapons.
Mr Ban offered his reassurance to the Chinese authorities that the UN would continue to supply further relief support to help the nation recover from the natural disaster.
The UN official is currently making a series of trips to China and Burma, where he is seeking to provide further relief to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.