Quake deaths estimated over 50,000 in Sichuan alone
Updated: 2008-05-15 22:16
Other developments:
Public security departments have punished 17 rumor mongers in the wake of the earthquake, the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.
The ministry did not mention what exactly the rumors were, but claimed that the culprits "spread false information, made sensational statements and sapped public confidence".
Power has been restored in most parts of Sichuan, the State Grid Corporation of China announced on Thursday. However, people in Beichuan county and Aba prefecture were still suffering a blackout.
A Japanese rescue team is expected to arrive in Sichuan today. The rescue team, comprising about 60 members, will be the first foreign disaster relief professionals to assist China since the quake struck on Monday.
Foreign Team to Join Relief Operations
Japan will send an emergency relief team Thursday to China's quake-stricken areas, Foreign Ministry officials said.
The Japanese government is coordinating with relevant departments of the Chinese side over details of the relief operations, they said.
The first batch of the relief team, consisting of some 10 members, is scheduled to set off from Narita airport later Thursday.China has accepted Japan's offer to send an emergency response team to the quake-stricken southwest area, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing on Thursday.
Many international organizations and foreign leaders have expressed sympathy and pledged to offer help, Qin Gang told reporters at a earlier press conference in Beijing.
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