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September 4, 2013

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46 religious sites hit by quakes

At least 46 religious sites in a prefecture in southwest China’s Yunnan Province were damaged in two earthquakes last week.

Twenty religious sites were damaged in Deqen County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Deqen, most of which were Tibetan Buddhist temples, the prefecture religious affairs administration said yesterday.

There was also damage to 25 religious sites in Susu Autonomous County of Weixi, mostly Christian churches.

A 5.1-magnitude quake struck on August 28, followed by another which measured 5.9-magnitude three days later.

 The administration is still calculating the number of religious sites damaged in the quakes in Shangri-La County.

But some 120 monks’ quarters at Sumtsen Ling Monastery, a 334-year-old Tibetan Buddhist temple in Shangri-La County, were damaged, said Losang Geleg, a monk at the temple.

Cracks have been seen in two Buddha halls of the temple. Most of the 720 monks have gone home, he said.

County governments in the prefecture have set up tents for  monks and nuns. Hundreds of monks have been praying for quake-affected people.

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported at the religious sites, said Bai Linde, deputy head of the prefecture religious affairs administration.

The prefecture government said the quakes caused direct economic losses of nearly 1.5 billion yuan (US$240 million), and affected 120,000 people.

According to government statistics, three people were killed and 44 injured in the counties of Shangri-La and Deqen, the areas worst-hit by the quakes.

 


 

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