The 4th Chinese National Pole Dance Championship held in Tianjin
Chinese navy commandos debut at 2014 RIMPAC
Guangxi impression: scenic countryside
World's largest aquatic insect found in Sichuan
Ceremony volunteers for Youth Olympics make public appearance
A glimpse of female crew of Liaoning aircraft carrier
Stills from "Dad, where are we going?"
Legless man's happy life
Top ten most beautiful islands in China
Aerial view of Hong Kong

Rescuers convey an injured villager at quake-hit Longquan Village of Longtoushan Town in Ludian County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 4, 2014. At least 381 people have been killed after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled the province Sunday afternoon. (Xinhua/Wu Zhangjun)
BEIJING, Aug. 4 -- The National Committee for Disaster Reduction has issued the highest-level national disaster relief response to cope with an earthquake in southwest China that has killed at least 381 people.
The committee decided to lift the level of the disaster relief response from grade III to I at 11 a.m. Monday. Grade I is usually issued for "especially major natural disasters" in which more than 200 people are killed or more than 1 million people are relocated.
The committee requested further support for the quake relief work in Ludian County of Yunnan Province, the epicenter of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake Sunday.
The quake occurred at 4:30 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time) with a depth of 12 km. The epicenter was located at Longtoushan Township, 23 km southwest of the county seat of Ludian.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs blamed poor housing structure and dense population at the epicenter for heavy casualties.
Most residences in the quake-hit zone are wood and earth structures. In the region hit hardest by the quake, about 90 percent of wood and earth and brick houses were collapsed or damaged, according to the ministry.
According to meteorological authorities, thundershowers are expected from Monday to Wednesday, adding difficulty to relief work in the mountainous region.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, 381 people were killed and another three went missing in the quake. About 1.09 million people have been affected by the quake, with 1,800 wounded and about 230,000 relocated, according to the provincial civil affairs authorities of Yunnan.
Blockbuster? No, it’s firefighters’ posters
Special 'gifts' for IT men for Chinese Qixi Festival
Foreign students' colorful life in China
French photographer‘s work 'China 2050' goes viral online
A bite of Halal Food
Dressed in uniforms to marry you
Female soldier in Chinese special force
Zhujiang ambassadors attend lotus lanterns activity
From girly girl to tough special police officer
22-year-old veteran travels around China
Night scenery of pagoda forests
China suffers from hot summer
48 hours after super Typhoon Rammasun
German pianist plays mid-air ‘magic carpet’ show over Munich Airport
China's manned deep-sea submersible conducts dive in Pacific Ocean
Day|Week|Month