Plan China Office evacuated following  Earthquake

Following the powerful earthquake in China's South-western Sichuan province Plan China's country office in Xi'an, Shaanxi province has been evacuated. All staff members are reported safe however, as are the International Audit Team, which was visiting Xi'an.

There are no deaths or injuries reported amongst field staff or sponsored children and their families. Thousands of homes were affected however and either collapsed or will need significant repair work. Seven schools in Xi Xiang County were also damaged.

The epicentre was about 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital and could be felt as far away as the capital Beijing and Bangkok in Thailand.

More than 95 people were killed in the province of Shaanxi, where Plan has five Programme Units.

So far China has not requested international help and has responded quickly with 50,000 troops deployed to help relief efforts. Thousands of people are believed to still be trapped with infrastructure such as bridges and roads cutting off vital help to rural communities.