At 8:02 a.m. Beijing time on April 20, 2013, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Lushan County, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province (30.3°N, 103.0°E). The focal depth was 13 kilometers. The epicenter was about 100 kilometers from Chengdu. Strong tremors were felt in Chengdu, Chongqing, and Baoji, Hanzhong, Ankang and other places in Shaanxi. According to a briefing from the Emergency Response Office of the Ya'an Municipal Government, more than 99% of houses in Longmen Township, Lushan County, at the epicenter collapsed, and the health center and inpatient department stopped operating, with water and power supplies cut off. As of 10:00 on April 24, 2013, a total of 4,045 aftershocks had occurred, including 103 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or above, with the strongest measuring magnitude 5.7. The affected population was 1.52 million, and the affected area covered 12,500 square kilometers. According to the website of the China Earthquake Administration, the earthquake caused a total of 196 deaths, 21 missing, and 11,470 injuries.

In the quake-hit area of Lushan, Sichuan, 432 kilometers of national and provincial roads, 3,689 kilometers of county roads and roads below that level, 86 vehicle stations, and 59 water transport facility wharves were damaged, with direct economic losses of about 6.3 billion yuan. The recovery and reconstruction planning period is set at three years, from July 2013 to June 2016.

According to the information, on July 2, Minister of Transport Yang Chuantang chaired a ministerial meeting to analyze the operational situation of transport in the first half of the year and to study and arrange key work for the next stage. Yang Chuantang pointed out that, on the whole, the transport economy was stabilizing amid slower growth and making progress while remaining stable. All departments and units should further strengthen their awareness of the overall situation, responsibility and potential risks, earnestly implement the decisions and arrangements of the central authorities, focus on solving prominent problems in the industry's operations, and ensure the achievement of the full-year transport work targets.

The meeting heard an analysis report on the operational situation of transport in the first half of the year. Yang Chuantang pointed out that since the beginning of this year, in the face of a complex and volatile domestic and international environment, the Ministry of Transport had implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, closely focused on the main theme and main line, followed the general tone of seeking progress while maintaining stability, centered on improving quality and efficiency, and solidly advanced the targets and tasks set at the National Transport Work Conference, providing strong transport service guarantees for sustained economic development, continuous improvement of people's livelihood, and the promotion of social justice.

The meeting reviewed and approved the post-earthquake transport recovery and reconstruction plan for the Lushan earthquake in Sichuan. According to the disaster assessment report determined by the state, 432 kilometers of national and provincial roads, 3,689 kilometers of county roads and roads below that level, 86 vehicle stations, and 59 water transport facility wharves were damaged in the quake-hit area, with direct economic losses of about 6.3 billion yuan. The recovery and reconstruction planning period is set at three years, from July 2013 to June 2016. Yang Chuantang required that projects be sorted out and plans refined strictly in accordance with the scope determined by the state, that guidance and coordination be strengthened, and that strong and effective support be provided for post-earthquake transport recovery and reconstruction in Lushan, Sichuan, so as to comprehensively enhance the disaster-resistance capacity and service level of transport infrastructure in the quake-hit area.