Response speedy to Sichuan quake

Tourists gather their belongings at a hotel parking lot as they prepare to leave the mountainous earthquake zone on Wednesday.PHOTO BY FAN PEIKUN / XINHUA AND FENG ZHENG / CHINA NEWS SERVICE

Premier Li Keqiang also urged local authorities to go all out in relief and monitoring work.

At least eight of the dead were tourists at Jiuzhaigou, which has a national park known for its spectacular waterfalls and karst formations, according to the disaster relief headquarters. Two of the dead were locals and the status of nine was not yet known.

A French man, Maxence Vallon, 18, a Canadian woman and another unidentified foreigner were among the injured, according to the provincial government.

The provincial health and family planning commission put together a team to transfer the seriously injured and provided basic medical treatment and psychological assistance in places where tourists and residents have taken shelter.

Most of the injured were being treated at the county hospital, while some of the seriously wounded were transferred to hospitals in the cities of Mianyang and the provincial capital of Chengdu, according to the commission.

"Minor or moderate injuries make up the majority," said Zeng Jun, a doctor with the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital who helped in the rescue.

Vallon had injuries to both legs, while the Canadian woman, who declined to be named, suffered a slight head injury. Both are being treated at Jiuzhaigou county's public hospital.

Doctors said stone fragments were embedded in Vallon's right leg and he needed immediate surgery to prevent infection.

"We were on open ground when a rock fell and hit my brother on the leg," said Romain Vallon, a student in Beijing. The brothers were staying with their mother in a hotel in Jiuzhaigou when the quake struck.