Premier Wen Jiabao urged local officials to go all out to resettle evacuated citizens affected by an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, which jolted east China's Jiangxi Province on Saturday.

 

Wen had talks via telephone with Meng Jianzhu, secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chen Jianmin, director of the China Seismological Bureau, on Saturday night.

 

He said the evacuated citizens who were affected by the earthquake must be resettled as soon as possible. Special attention should be paid to senior citizens, women, children and hospitalized patients, Wen added.

 

Wen said urgent tasks include repairing and reinforcing houses.

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Local officials should be on hand to help locals solve problems and maintain social order.

 

Seismological departments should monitor the situation and provide local governments with relief work assistance, he added.

 

The earthquake rattled areas between Jiujiang and Ruichang in east China's Jiangxi Province at about 8:49 AM on Saturday, the China National Seismic Observation Network said.

 

 

 

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2005)