Earthquake in China Kills More than 12,000 (update 1)

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Earthquake in China Kills More than 12,000 (update 1)

USGS map showing main earthquake (red) and aftershocks (in yellow and orange)

RESCUE RUSH: Monday’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake in China’s Sichuan province killed at least 12,000 people and left as many as 18,000 more buried beneath the rubble. Rainstorms and blocked roads kept rescue workers and military troops from reaching damaged areas.

by Thea Deley
Informify Staff Writer
May 14, 2008

Rescuing survivors is China’s first priority. Some areas cannot be reached by vehicle, so soldiers must walk in. Stormy weather kept four rescue helicopters from other areas. The U.S. Geological Survey now says the temblor, six miles beneath the earth’s surface, measured 7.9.

Rescue Workers Hurry to Find Survivors

More than 100,000 people live in Wenchuan County, where the quake cut off communication in some areas for 11 hours. One government official was able to call out on his cell phone. Sobbing, he pleaded for help for his devastated city.

So far, the Chinese government has sent the following to areas hit by the earthquake:

1,300 emergency workers
16,000 military troops, with another 34,000 on their way
30 search dogs
US$52 million
60,600 tents

Rescue workers are using cranes and mechanical hoists to dig through concrete and steel. In some cases, people are using just their hands to reach survivors.

As of yesterday, soldiers walking toward towns only accessible by foot were still miles away. Rocks and mudslides blocked the road to vehicles.

Devastating Reports Coming In

The initial earthquake lasted almost three minutes. The Sichuan seismology bureau reported 313 aftershocks. Devastating reports are coming in from all over the Sichuan province:

Of the 900 trapped students in the collapsed Dujiangyan school building, 60 are confirmed dead.
As rescue workers pulled out bodies at another school in Juyuan, they wrote the students’ names on a blackboard while families huddled in the rain.
When the quake collapsed two chemical plants in Shifang, it spilled more than 80 tons of toxic ammonia, forcing area residents to evacuate the area.
More than 70% of roads in Yingxiu were destroyed.
All in all, the quake destroyed more than 3.46 million homes.

Original Story

Earthquake in China Kills Nearly 10,000

Sources

China quake death toll rises to about 10,000 (Associated Press, 5/13/08)

Rescue teams nationwide heading for China's quake-hit area (Xinhua, 5/13/08)

Sichuan earthquake death toll exceeds 12,000 (Xinhua, 5/13/08)

Question for Readers:

Do you think the Chinese government is handling this earthquake any better than the Myanmar military government is handling their cyclone?

Donations Pouring into Areas Hit by Quake

Donations of supplies and money are coming in from all over China and the world:

Tangshan City government donated 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) yesterday to buy tents, quilts, clothes, food and other supplies. (China’s deadliest quake in modern history hit Tangshan in 1976, killing 240,000 people.)
A car manufacturer in Hebei donated 20 vehicles worth 2 million yuan (US$286,000).
A pharmaceutical company in Guangxi donated 2 million yuan (US$286,000) worth of medicine and money.
People from China and other countries donated 500,000 yuan (US$72,000) through an Internet campaign.
Tencent Inc., a Chinese Internet service provider, donated 5 million yuan (US$715,000).

So far China has not requested any aid from the United States, said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"People are trapped in debris; we must use every second."