2008 sichuan earthquake

abigaileaa · 05-15-2008, 03:53 AM

Monday's earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province has left 8,533 people dead, local authorities said.

The figure climbed from 7,651 provided earlier Monday night by the temporary headquarters for disaster relief headed by Premier Wen Jiabao in Sichuan.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Wenchuan County, 159 km northwest of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, at 2:28 p.m. Monday.

At least 30 people were killed...

waltky · 05-15-2008, 09:52 PM

Probably a conservative estimate...

China says earthquake toll could top 50,000
Thurs., May. 15, 2008 - Government issues a rare public appeal for rescue equipment

Quote:

The death toll from China's massive earthquake could reach more than 50,000, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday, quoting rescue headquarters. Already some 20,000 are confirmed dead as a result of Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake, and at least 12,300 people remained buried and another 102,100 were injured in Sichuan province, where the quake was centered, the vice governor told reporters.

China earlier issued a rare public appeal for rescue equipment as rescue workers broke through key roads to the epicenter in the race to find survivors. More than 72 hours after the quake rattled central China, rescuers appeared to shift from poring through downed buildings for survivors to the grim duty of searching for bodies — with 10 million directly affected by Monday’s temblor.

In Luoshui town — on the road to an industrial zone in Shifang city where two chemical plants collapsed, burying hundreds of people — troops used a mechanical shovel to dig a pit on a hilltop to bury the dead. Two bodies wrapped in white sheets lay near the pit.

Bodies laid on sidewalk

waltky · 09-01-2008, 11:02 AM

Aftershock causes another quake...

China rushes troops into quake zone
September 01, 2008 - CHINA deployed more than 8000 soldiers and military reservists to help search and rescue efforts in the southwest today after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that left 38 people dead.

Quote:

The weekend quake, in a mountainous region spanning the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, destroyed or damaged an estimated 258,000 homes and injured nearly 650 people, and aftershocks continued to be felt. The China News Services said the military were rushed to the scene to beef up search and rescue efforts as more people were being located and pulled out from the rubble. Some 2000 troops, police and firefighters already in the area have rescued more than 130 injured victims from collapsed buildings since the quake struck on Saturday afternoon, it added.

An inter-ministerial command post was set up today in the quake zone to coordinate communications and the rescue and relief work, the China Earthquake Administration said. Food, water, medical supplies and tents were being rushed to the scene, it said on its website. Besides searching for survivors, rescue workers were also rushing supplies to those in need, evacuating people from dangerous buildings, and setting up refugee camps, it added.

The administration said two of the latest fatalities - the previous death toll had been 32 - were attributed to a 5.6-magnitude aftershock that shook the region around Panzhihua city yesterday afternoon. Panzhihua is near the epicentre of the main quake and about 500km south of where an 8.0 earthquake devastated a swathe of Sichuan on May 12, leaving nearly 88,000 people dead or missing.

According to the Government in Sichuan, aftershocks continued to rattle the region today, shaking the city of Dujiangyan which was also badly damaged in May. Most of Saturday's damage was in the county of Huili, where 25 people have been confirmed dead and 321 injured, Xinhua news agency said. Five were killed and 132 injured in Panzhihua city, while six died and 195 people were injured in Chuxiong prefecture in neighbouring Yunnan province to the south, it added.

China rushes troops into quake zone | NEWS.com.au