Warm weather will increase risk of disease in Chinese quake hit areas

New Delhi, May 17 : Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA) has said that regions around the epicentre of the earthquake will experience warmer weather over the next three days.

The CMA said it would be impossible to prevent the spread of disease if the temperatures reaches 25 to 29 C in the quake hit areas.

"The smell of corpses has become increasingly strong," the China Daily quoted a reporter, as saying.

"I am wearing two layers of gauze masks, but I can still smell it," he added.

A journalist from China Central Television said that rats were increasingly present in the Beichuan County.

He said that although some steps had been taken to clean up Beichuan, "It is still not enough, especially if the temperatures rise in the next days, as the hygiene conditions will get worse."

So far, no epidemics have been reported in the quake-hit regions, Vice-Minister of Health Gao Qiang told reporters in Beijing.

The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude quake in the Sichuan Province rose to 22,069 while 1,68,669 people were injured.

ANI