Public mourning to be held for quake victims

A period of public mourning will be observed on Saturday for those who died in a 7.0-magnitude quake that jolted Lushan County in Sichuan Province on April 20.

The provincial government issued a notice that all entertainment activities throughout the province would be halted in public places on Saturday.

The public mourning will begin with all transportation vehicles sounding their sirens at 8:02 a.m., the time the devastating earthquake hit. A silent tribute will follow and last 3 minutes, according to the notice.

The strong earthquake has claimed nearly 200 lives and destroyed about 126,000 homes, according to official figures.