United Nations Radio

Two weeks after a powerful earthquake took at least 60,000 lives in China's Sichuan Province, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a personal visit to the epicenter of the earthquake to express his condolences and solidarity as he joins Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in the hard-hit Wenchuan County.

UN Radio correspondent Li Maoqi was traveling with the Secretary-General and filed this report from Wenchuan:

In an emotional joint press conference surrounded by rubbles and rescue workers, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his condolences and solidarity to the people and government of China while the two leaders clasped their hands and solemnly looked into each other's eyes.

(Ban cut): "Mr. Prime Minister I can not find any suitable words to express how I feel, my heart is filled with great sadness on this tragedy. My fullest sympathies and condolences for all those people who lost their lives and I am also saddened particularly by all this tragic loss of many children who were killed while studying in their schools and I hope under your leadership they will be able to overcome this tragedy. It was inspiring and impressive that under your leadership your people have shown great strength and courage and resilience to overcome this. The United Nations and the whole international community stands behind you."

As of Friday, the May 12th earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale has caused a heavy toll of as many as 60,000 lives with 30,000 missing and 5 million homeless. The United Nations has withdrawn $8 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to help UN agencies in their relief efforts to the earthquake.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is on a one-week Asian tour with a focus on another disaster in the region -- Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

Li Maoqi, reporting in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province for UN Radio.

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