By Liu Weifeng (China Daily)

Beijing authorities are planning to increase the number of emergency shelters downtown to 100, to ready the city for natural disasters such as earthquakes.

The plan, unveiled by the Beijing urban planning administration, said more than 100 shelters will be built over the next few years, meaning people living and working in the downtown area will never be more than a 20-minute walk from the nearest one, the Beijing News reported yesterday.