Epicenter villages nearly destroyed
甘肃地震震中村庄几乎全部被毁
5 hours after the earthquake struck, CCTV managed to get into two villages that were almost destroyed. Lalu and Yongxing are located just hundreds of meters away from the epicentre.
Solders dig through the debris to search for survivors in Lalu village.
They arrived just 1 hour after the quake, the first rescue team on site.
The soldiers recovered 10 bodies, and evacuated 13 people to safety.
Every house in Lalu was either destroyed or severely damaged.
"I have 20 tons of medicinal herbs worth 200,000 yuan in my house. But my house has collapsed and it’s all buried," said Lalu villager."About 900 villagers survived the quake and they are now on their own."
In nearby Yongxing village, 90 percent of houses were flattened. A number of people were killed and rescue teams are working around the clock searching for survivors.
A CCTV reporter went to what remained of one family’s home. She was told that 5 people were inside when the quake struck.
The wife and one of the sons are now in hospital. The husband and the two other sons were killed.
Hundreds of people have fled to the mountain top, waiting for evacuation. Rescuers have delivered food and water, and relief supplies were on their way.