CHINA: Aftershock hits northwest, victims face snow and cold

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Att.Editors: The following item is from the Qatar News Agency (QNA)

BEIJING, Mar 4 2003 (IPS) - A strong aftershock from last week’s deadly earthquake struck northwest China on Tuesday, jolting residents with a 5.2 magnitude tremor amid snow and freezing temperatures, officials in the region said.

The initial earthquake in the Xinjiang region hit just over one week ago on Monday with an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale which killed more than 300 people.

In addition, the area has been suffering through below freezing temperatures and snowfall, with tens of thousands of homeless people struggling to keep warm. An earthquake relief center in the region said about 100,000 people are living in tents, as temperatures fell to minus six degrees Celsius at night.

In the hardest hit area, officials said many of the homeless people are not able to sleep in tents, so they are left in the open.

New tents were expected to arrive on Tuesday to accommodate those in need.

"It is very, very cold at night," said a teacher living in the area. "But there is enough to eat."