Most of the road linking Dujiangyan to Yingxiu County has collapsed amid landslides since the earthquake. The blocked road cut off one of the most important lifelines from the outside world. But rescue workers wasted no time, opening a waterway to evacuate residents and transport relief materials.

Rescue workers wasted no time, opening a waterway to evacuate residents and transport relief materials.

On the banks of the lake behind Zipingpu Dam, people evacuated by boat are waiting for a health check-up by medical staff. Soldiers from the Ziyang Engineering Corps have been transporting people and materials like this for almost a week. Broken bridges, continued landslides and floating rubble along the waterway pose a threat to the safety of the rescue boats - making the soldiers' task more challenging and difficult.

Yang Zongze, political Commissar of Ziyang Army Reserve Unit Engineer Corps, said, "Our rescue boats began working on the morning of May 14th. Since then, we've been working 18 hours a day going back and forth to evacuate local residents and send in rescue workers. So far we've transported more than 100 tons of relief materials and rescued over 1,200 injured people."

Rescue workers have set up a temporary port in nearby Xuankou Township as a transfer point to shelter evacuated locals. They are then transported, ten people per boat, to receive medical attention in safe areas.

(CCTV May 20, 2008)