Death Toll in China Quake Reportedly Nears 12,000
“…Bodies covered with sheets lined the streets Tuesday as rescue workers dug through schools and homes turned into rubble by China’s worst earthquake in three decades in a search for more victims. The official death toll rose to nearly 12,000, and thousands remained missing…”
By William Foreman
Source: AP
Bodies covered with sheets lined the streets Tuesday as rescue workers dug through schools and homes turned into rubble by China’s worst earthquake in three decades in a search for more victims. The official death toll rose to nearly 12,000, and thousands remained missing.
But hope that many survivors would be found was slim. Buildings were knocked down on every block in some cities, and corpses were laid out in the street and in schoolyards.
Only 58 people were extricated from demolished buildings across the quake area so far, China Seismological Bureau spokesman Zhang Hongwei told the official Xinhua.
“Survivors can hold on for some time. Now it’s not time to give up,” said Wang Zhenyao, disaster relief division director at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, adding that rescue efforts could take a week.
A day after the powerful 7.9 magnitude quake struck, state media said rescue workers had only just reached the epicenter in Wenchuan county - cut off by the disaster and where the number of casualties was unknown. China said it would welcome international aid but would not yet allow foreign relief workers into the affected area.
Heavy rain, which had contributed to the difficulty of reaching the epicenter, continued to impede efforts and a group of paratroopers called off a mission to the area, Xinhua said.
The death toll rose to 11,921, Wang said. At least 4,800 people remained buried in Mianzhu, 60 miles from the epicenter, Xinhua said, citing local authorities.
The casualty figures were expected to rise and remained uncertain due to the remote areas affected by the quake and difficulty in finding buried victims.
The earthquake caused a wide swath of damage across central China, leveling buildings and severing roads and communications. It sent people rushing out of their offices across the country in Beijing, and was felt as far away as Vietnam.
Nearly 10,000 people died in Sichuan province alone and 300 others in other provinces and the mega-city of Chongqing, Xinhua reported.
A 40-car freight train with 13 gasoline tankers derailed in the quake and was still burning Tuesday, the agency said, with no word on casualties.
Earthquake rescue experts in orange jumpsuits extricated bloody survivors on stretchers from demolished buildings, and some 34,000 troops swarmed into the region to help.
Aftershocks rattled the region for a second day, sending people running into the streets in the city of Chengdu. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the shocks between magnitude 4 and 6, some of the strongest since Monday’s quake.
In Dujiangyan, rescue teams were trying to get to a woman who was eight months pregnant and trapped in a seven-story apartment building that collapsed.
Zhou Chun, a 70-year-old retired mechanic, was leaving Dujiangyan with a soiled light blue blanket draped over his shoulders.
“My wife died in the quake. My house was destroyed,” he said. “I am going to Chengdu, but I don’t know where I’ll live.”
Nearby, a man in his late 50s who refused to give his name, said his father was missing in the rubble of his home. “Yesterday, when the earthquake happened our home collapsed really quickly and I heard my father yell, ‘Help, help, help,’” the man said.
People were seeking rides out of town, where makeshift tent cities were being erected as shelter from rain that began Tuesday and could affect rescue efforts.
Just east of the epicenter, 1,000 students and teachers were killed or missing at a collapsed high school in Beichuan county. The six- or seven-story building was reduced to a pile of rubble about two yards high, according to Xinhua. Another 900 students were feared dead when their school collapsed in Juyuan, which is in Dujiangyan city.
The Beichuan school had more than 2,000 students and teachers in three school buildings. The other two buildings collapsed partially, Xinhua said.
Up to 5,000 people were killed and 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan, Xinhua said, in a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan’s provincial capital of Chengdu. The government has poured more than 16,000 troops into the area with tens of thousands more on the way.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who flew to the area to oversee rescue efforts, said a push was on to clear roads and restore electricity as soon as possible.
China’s Ministry of Health issued an appeal for blood donations to help the victims of the quake. “There is a large demand for blood in quake-hit areas and we hope the public actively donate blood,” spokesman Mao Quan said.
Before the rescue workers arrived, the only previous contact with hard-hit Wenchuan, Xinhua said, was a satellite phone call from the local Communist Party secretary to appeal for air drops of tents, food and medicine.
The official, Wang Bin, said there were 57 reported deaths so far, with more than 300 other people seriously injured. He said the figures were likely to rise as there was no information from mountainous areas.
He estimated that at least 30,000 of the county’s 105,000 residents slept outside Monday night.
Fifteen missing British tourists were believed to be in that area at the time of the quake and were “out of reach,” Xinhua reported.
They were likely visiting the Wolong Nature Reserve, home to more than 100 giant pandas, whose fate also was not known, Xinhua said. It reported that 60 pandas at another breeding center in Chengdu were safe.
Also, two Chinese-Americans and a Thai tourist were missing in Sichuan province, the agency said, citing tourism officials.
Disasters pose a test to China’s communist government, whose mandate rests heavily on maintaining order, delivering economic growth and providing relief in emergencies.
Pressure for a rapid response was particularly intense this year, as the government was already grappling with public discontent over high inflation and a widespread uprising among Tibetans in western China while trying to prepare for the Beijing Olympics this August.
Expressions of sympathy and offers of help poured in from the United States, Japan and the European Union, among others. Even rival Taiwan, which is frequently hit by quakes and has highly developed expertise in rescue operations, offered aid.
The Chinese government said it would welcome outside aid. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said relief authorities “are ready to make contact with relevant countries and organizations.”
But Wang, the disaster relief official, said international aid workers would not be allowed to travel to the affected area.
“We welcome funds and supplies, we can’t accommodate personnel at this point,” he said.
Russia was sending a plane with rescuers and aid, the country’s Interfax news agency reported. Department spokesman Sean McCormack said no aid requests had been made by China. China’s Ministry of Finance said it had allocated about $123 million, in aid for quake-hit areas.
The quake was China’s deadliest since 1976, when 240,000 people were killed in the city of Tangshan, near Beijing in 1976.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...Posted in Social
ablated…
the vr4 version is. ive seen a few for $12,000+….
wii offers…
I saw someone writing about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Natural Swimming Pools…
[…]down the page you can see the url to some web pages that we think that you really should stop by[…]…
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and precise information but here I noted…
psychic circle…
While searching Yahoo I found this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Anti Wrinkle…
I like to look in various places on the online world, often I will go to Digg and follow thru…
Its hard to find good help…
I am constantnly proclaiming that its hard to find quality help, but here is …
Wikia…
Wika linked to this site…
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate information but here I noted…
Wika linked to this {site|website|place}…
I was reading the news and I saw this really interesting topic…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing yesterday I noticed a excellent post about…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this place…
Just Looking…
When I was surfing today I noticed a great article about…
Just Browsing…
While I was browsing today I noticed a great post about…
Its hard to find good help…
I am constantnly proclaiming that its hard to find quality help, but here is …
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and found…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing today I noticed a excellent post about…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and realized…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here today, so I just took to messing around on the internet and realized…
Its hard to find good help…
I am forever proclaiming that its difficult to get good help, but here is …
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News yesterday I found this…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really cool info…
Looking around…
I love to surf around the online world, regularly I will go to Stumble Upon and read and check stuff out…
Looking around…
I like to browse in various places on the internet, often I will just go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Useful and precise…
Its hard to find really informative and accurate information but here I found…
Looking around…
I like to browse in various places on the internet, often I will go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I found this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Websites worth visiting…
[…]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[…]……
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool information…
Just Browsing…
While I was browsing today I noticed a great post concerning…
Yep….
I couldn’t have said it better myself……
Just Reading…
The other afternoon, I was browsing on the internet I saw a excellent article concerning…
Related……
[…]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[…]……
Websites worth visiting…
[…]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[…]……
Visitor recommendations…
[…]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[…]……
Check this out…
[…] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[…]……
Looking around…
I like to look around the internet, often I will just go to Stumble Upon and read and check stuff out…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing today I noticed a great article concerning…
Online Article……
[…]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available […]……
Sources…
[…]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]……
Awesome website…
[…]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[…]……
Recommeneded websites…
[…]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[…]……
Sites we Like……
[…] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose […]……
Just Looking…
When I was browsing yesterday I saw a excellent article concerning…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly saying that its hard to get good honest help, but here is …
Just Looking…
When I was surfing today I noticed a great article about…
Tom Hopkins…
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying.” …
Reference…
There are several references of this including…
Useful and precise…
Its difficult to find really informative and accurate info but here I noted…
Useful and precise…
Its difficult to find really informative and precise information but here I noted…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this website…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and found…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG today I found this…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really forever saying that its difficult to get good honest help, but here is …
Looking around…
I like to surf around the online world, regularly I will go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and precise information but here I noted…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here today, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and found…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this website…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly saying that its hard to find good honest help, but here is …
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I found this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Looking around…
I love to surf around the internet, regularly I will go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I found this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Useful and precise…
Its hard to find really informative and precise info but here I noted…
Iron Man 3…
If you need to check out the latest trailer or info about the iron man 3 go to at our site….
Just Looking…
When I was browsing today I saw a great post about…
Useful and precise…
Its hard to find really informative and accurate information but here I found…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this website…
Yahoo results…
While searching Yahoo I discovered this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Looking around…
I love to surf in various places on the online world, regularly I will go to Stumble Upon and read and check stuff out…
Weebly article…
I saw a writer writing about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I found this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Useful and precise…
Its hard to find really informative and accurate info but here I noted…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to messing around on the internet and realized…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I found this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this place…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really cool topic…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly proclaiming that its difficult to get quality honest help, but here is …
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly saying that its difficult to find good honest help, but here is …
Weebly article…
I saw someone talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly proclaiming that its hard to procure good honest help, but here is …
Wikia…
Wika linked to this site…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting topic…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and found…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News today I noticed this…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really cool topic…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really cool topic…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Looking around…
I love to surf around the web, often I will go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
phentermine alternatives…
Once again brilliant. It is not advice explained so well homework, and I am on the look out for….
Weebly article…
I saw a writer writing about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Weebly article…
I saw someone writing about this on Weebly and it linked to…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly proclaiming that its difficult to find quality honest help, but here is …
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News yesterday I found this…
Bing results…
While searching Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really cool info…
Useful and precise…
Its difficult to find really informative and precise info but here I found…
Yahoo News…
When reading a bit Google and Bing News now I noticed this…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really forever proclaiming that its hard to find quality honest help, but here is …
Weebly article…
I saw a guy writing a lot about this on Tumblr and it linked right to…
Weebly article…
I saw a girl talking a lot about this on Tumblr and it linked right to…
Yahoo News…
When reading a bit Google and Bing News just now I noticed this…
Bing results…
While searching Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Nice Focus….
I really like the direction you’ve decided to take this blog….
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to messing around on the internet and found…
Hard Day…
It was quite a hard day for me yesterday, so I decided to take to piddeling around a lot on the internet and rapidly found…
Looking around…
I love to surf a bit in various places on the vast online world, quite often I will go to Stumble Upon and read and check stuff out…
Iron Man 3 Trailer…
I wanted to draft you a little bit of word to finally say thanks a lot over again with the pretty basics you’ve documented on this site. It is so incredibly open-handed of people like you to deliver publicly precisely what most of us would’ve supplie…
News…
I was reading quickly the AOL news and I saw this quite interesting and new information…
Hard Day…
It was quite a hard day for me today, so I decided to take to piddeling around a lot on the internet and rapidly realized…
Tumblr…
Tumblr just linked to this cool place…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting info…
Tumblr…
Tumblr just linked to this cool website…
News…
I was reading quickly the AOL news and I saw this quite cool and new information…
Useful and precise…
Its quite hard to find super informative and precise information but now I found…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I found this…
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate information but here I noted…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I found this…
Get a life…
Did he really say that? How does that make you feel…
Yahoo results…
While searching Yahoo I discovered this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Recommeneded websites…
[…]Here are some of the pages we recommend for our visitors[…]……
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly saying that its hard to find good honest help, but here is …
That’s Right!…
This is a really good blog. Good work!…
Yahoo results…
While browsing Yahoo I discovered this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…