Thousands are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern China Monday afternoon. The quake's epicenter was located about 66 miles northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, New China News Service (Xinhua) reported.
The New York Times is reporting that there are an estimated 8,500 dead, according to authorities in the Province.
In the county of Wenchuan, where the epicenter was located, two schools and a water tower were reported collapsed. The county has a population of 111,800. It is also home to the Wolong Nature Reserve, China's leading research and breeding base for giant pandas.
In the city of Dujiangyan, 900 students were buried after their high school building collapsed. Xinhua reported that crying parents watched as five cranes excavated the site of the collapsed building.
Minutes following the earthquake, another one with a 3.9 magnitude hit east Beijing. Provinces throughout China also reported tremors, as did residents in Bangkok, Thailand. In the capital of Chengdu, aftershocks continued throughout the day. The capital city's downtown was also flooded when a water main broke near the city's southern railway station. Cell phone networks were down in major cities in the province, leaving many unable to learn about the safety of loved ones.
President Hu Jintao ordered aid workers and soldiers to the region to assist in relief work. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived at the disaster area on Monday night and called for calm.
Monday's earthquake is not the most devastating in terms of magnitude. China has a history of earthquakes, as all of its eastern and southern coast lies along the "Ring of Fire". Ming Dynasty officials recorded an earthquake as early as January 23, 1556 which had an approximate magnitude of 8, killing 830,000 people. In 1933, a 7.5 earthquake hit Maowen, a county near of Wenchuan where Monday's earthquake took place, that claimed 9,000 lives.
More recently, one of the world's deadliest quakes hit China in 1976, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Tangshan, in northeast China, killing 240,000 people.
The New York Times is reporting that there are an estimated 8,500 dead, according to authorities in the Province.
In the county of Wenchuan, where the epicenter was located, two schools and a water tower were reported collapsed. The county has a population of 111,800. It is also home to the Wolong Nature Reserve, China's leading research and breeding base for giant pandas.
In the city of Dujiangyan, 900 students were buried after their high school building collapsed. Xinhua reported that crying parents watched as five cranes excavated the site of the collapsed building.
Minutes following the earthquake, another one with a 3.9 magnitude hit east Beijing. Provinces throughout China also reported tremors, as did residents in Bangkok, Thailand. In the capital of Chengdu, aftershocks continued throughout the day. The capital city's downtown was also flooded when a water main broke near the city's southern railway station. Cell phone networks were down in major cities in the province, leaving many unable to learn about the safety of loved ones.
President Hu Jintao ordered aid workers and soldiers to the region to assist in relief work. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived at the disaster area on Monday night and called for calm.
Monday's earthquake is not the most devastating in terms of magnitude. China has a history of earthquakes, as all of its eastern and southern coast lies along the "Ring of Fire". Ming Dynasty officials recorded an earthquake as early as January 23, 1556 which had an approximate magnitude of 8, killing 830,000 people. In 1933, a 7.5 earthquake hit Maowen, a county near of Wenchuan where Monday's earthquake took place, that claimed 9,000 lives.
More recently, one of the world's deadliest quakes hit China in 1976, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Tangshan, in northeast China, killing 240,000 people.
Comments