Logistical problems cited for declining Australian help
Beijing declined Australia's offer of an expert search-and-rescue team to help find survivors of the earthquake, citing logistical problems, an Australian official said yesterday. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered aid after the quake. 'China responded today, thanking Australia for the offer,' a spokesman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said. 'The extreme challenges of transport and communication in the earthquake region mean that at this point the aid cannot be received.' Mr Rudd said on Tuesday he had offered assistance, including a search-and-rescue team, to Premier Wen Jiabao . AFP
More rain forecast for areas near quake's epicentre
More rain is forecast this week for areas devastated by the earthquake, further hampering rescue efforts, the China Meteorological Administration said. Heavy rain that has drenched the worst-hit areas near the quake's epicentre in Sichuan province was expected to diminish yesterday, but showers would persist through the week, the administration said. It said the rain, combined with the geological trauma to the hilly quake-hit region, had raised the danger of further landslides. Roads have been wiped out in the worst-hit areas, complicating efforts to reach communities where thousands are feared trapped under collapsed homes, schools and factories. AFP
Chinese communities in US anxious for news of relatives
Chinese communities around the United States mobilised to help victims of the earthquake in Sichuan, where many migrants have roots. Since Monday, US residents with ties to the region have anxiously sought news about China's worst earthquake in three decades, and tried to contact friends and relatives through jammed phone lines and e-mail. Sing Tao Daily, one of the largest Chinese-language newspapers in the US, published eight pages of quake coverage on Tuesday and set up a disaster relief fund. In New York, Chinese-Americans had donated thousands of dollars to help quake victims, community leaders said. AP
