An expert has urged the government to build quakeproof homes in areas prone to earthquakes.

The government should replace adobe houses with quakeproof houses, said Xu Qiang, a CPPCC National Committee member, head of the College of Environment and Civil Engineering of Chengdu University of Technology.

"Some houses made of mud and wood can barely withstand strong quakes," Xu said.

Ignoring preventative measures can lead to a large number of casualties during a natural disaster, he said. The government should attach more attention to quake prevention and mitigation efforts.

Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region introduced quakeproof house projects in 2004, after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake in Bachu county, Kashgar prefecture, left 261 people dead and damaged more than 10,000 houses in February 2003.

Many of the earthquake-resistant brick houses were not damaged by the magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck Yutian county in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's Hotan prefecture in February.