Isolation smashed as rescuers build lifeline

After two days of waiting in desperation, residents of Wuxing, a village just 2 km from Lushan county seat, the epicenter of Saturday's earthquake in Sichuan province, finally saw their first glimmer of hope.

The villagers, whose homes sustained extensive damage in the quake, received their first shipment of aid - huge quantities of water and instant noodles - on Monday afternoon. More supplies are set to arrive in the days to come.

The quake, which razed 90 percent of the houses in the village of 5,890 residents, left three people dead.

"I guess it may be attributable to the lack of media coverage, but our village has received very little attention so far. We badly need food, water and tents," said Hu Xia.

"There are many infants in the village, and they are going without baby formula. We have to feed them rice soup instead. Some of the older kids cry all day long because they are so hungry. How can little kids live on just noodles?" asked the 29-year-old mother of two young daughters. She called for urgent deliveries of rice and other food the children will find more palatable.

Despite their gratitude, many villagers said the aid provided so far is simply not enough to stave off the hunger and cold. Some expressed a mixture of discontent and understanding.

"Except for a few ambulances, very little attention has been paid to the village after the quake. We thought we had been forgotten. What's disappointed us most is that two days have passed, but the members of our village committee haven't even shown up yet," said another resident, villager Wang Dingbang.

"We can only depend on ourselves. We rescued some items from collapsing houses and constructed several makeshift shelters. But, of course, we understand that resources are limited because there are just so many victims. As long as people don't forget about us, things will be fine," said the 71 year old.

The electricity and water supplies were cut off by the quake, according to Wang, so villagers have been collecting water from an abandoned well. "The water is a little muddy, but it has helped us during these two days. The makeshift shelters we've erected are not waterproof at all. We need more tents, please," he said.

Special report:

7.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Ya'an, Sichuan