CRI听力:Roads Linking to Epicenter Re-open

The relief headquarters for the earthquake say hunting for survivors will remain the top priority of the rescue and relief work.

The death toll from the earthquake had reached 589, with some 2500 others injured.

Although access to some remote villages is still blocked, all roads linking to the epicenter in Longtoushan Township have been cleared.

Wang Yujin, a road engineer working at the quake zone, says the situation of the just repaired roads is not stable.

"After we repaired the road, stones kept falling down. This is because rocks are loosening from the mountains. Landslides happen especially when there is heavy wind and rain. So we've set up some check points here to control the vehicle flow."

Some 90 percent of quake-hit areas have had their communications fixed and 88 percent have had their power supply restored.

The rescue work will also focus on removing the dangers posed by a barrier lake formed when a landslide blocked the Niulan River on the border of Ludian County.

The rising water level in the lake has led to the evacuation of 42-thousand residents living in the lower reaches of the river.

The army conducted explosions last night to blow up the blockage at the lake, but the water is still rising.

An engineer corps is planning to launch an explosion again in five days.

"Five workers have arrived at the bottom of the barrier lake. They are now measuring the size of the landslide area and the height difference between the barrier lake and Hongshiyan Village. The figures will help us to calculate the height of the road that we should repair and reach the bottom as soon as possible."

A ferry raft has been built up on the lake to transport equipment for the blasting.

In the meantime, a road leading to the barrier lake is expected to be cleared later tonight.

The quake also damaged 280km of water pipes and facilities in the region, cutting off the supply of water to over 300-thousand people.

Local water plants are providing 50-thousand liters of bottled water every day as workers try to repair the pipelines.

Authorities say an emergency water distribution network is now ready for operation.

As Yunnan has entered its rainy season, health officials have warned of challenges for epidemic prevention against infectious diseases.

Currently, some 17-hundred military and civilian medical workers are on-site providing medical aid and epidemic prevention.

For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.