YUNNAN EARTHQUAKE -- TENS OF THOUSANDS LEFT HOMELESS

UNCLAS CHENGDU 000144 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM AND CA/OCS/ACS/EAP FOR K. FARRELL STATE FOR USAID/OFDA AND EAP/CM BANGKOK FOR OFDA/DOLAN KATHMANDU FOR OFDA/BERGER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON CASC CH SUBJECT: YUNNAN EARTHQUAKE -- TENS OF THOUSANDS LEFT HOMELESS ¶1. (U) On June 3, Southwest China's Yunnan Province experienced an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale. The quake hit Pu'er City, close to Yunnan's southern border with Burma, killing at least three, injuring 313, and leaving more than 180,000 people displaced, according to Chinese official press reports. ¶2. (U) The region, famed for tea, has reportedly since been rocked by "1,253" aftershocks, three of which measured more than three on the Richter scale with the largest at 5.1. Experts have warned of the possibility of more. ¶3. (U) The Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) confirmed to us some of the information contained in Chinese press reports. An official we spoke to on June 4 claimed a "few" people had died and that "less than three dozen" were injured. When asked if the FAO had received any reports of injured or missing Americans, the official said Pu'er was a rural and relatively sparsely populated tea producing area, and that as far as they knew, no foreigners were injured. ¶4. (SBU) Although initially hesitant to provide information to us, the Ning'er County Earthquake Relieve Office eventually told us on June 5 that the earthquake left three people dead and 329 people injured, 17 of them seriously. As reported in the press, the official confirmed that 180,000 people had been moved to temporary simple houses or tents in the area. ¶5. (SBU) The Relief Office also indicated approximately 530,000 people living in the immediate area have been affected by the earthquake. Over 360,000 houses are damaged in some way. Additionally, many other facilities including highways, power supply and telecommunication networks, and schools have been destroyed. ¶6. (SBU) Many Pu'er tea factories have had to stop production. The Relief Office estimates the direct economic loss to be approximately 2.5 billion RMB (USD 323 million). Following the earthquake, Pu'er has received relief materials and funds from the central government and other provinces. BOUGHNER