Olympic torch relay goes on despite earthquake disaster

CHINA: The Olympic torch relay continued its epic odyssey around China on Tuesday, state media reported, despite a huge earthquake that has left tens of thousands dead and missing.

China's official news agency Xinhua announced that the torch had embarked on its 12th domestic leg in the southeastern province of Fujian, one day after the 7.8-magnitude quake devastated vast areas of southwest China.

The leg kicked off at 8:12 am (0012 GMT) in Longyan, a town in the western part of the province with China's Olympic weightlifting medallist Zhang Xiangxiang running the first stage of the leg, Xinhua reported.

On its website, the Beijing Olympic organising committee showed a picture of a beaming Zhang holding the torch aloft. Torch relay officials were not immediately available for comment.

On Wednesday the relay is scheduled to head to Jiangxi province as it continues its journey around the country.

It is due to pass through disaster-hit Sichuan province in mid-June, with a leg planned for the provincial capital Chengdu on June 18, four days after visiting Chongqing which is also reeling from the quake.

Beijing, Tuesday, AFP