Nearly 10,000 dead in China earthquake, fears for many more
May 13, 2008
The death toll from China’s worst earthquake in over three decades climbed to nearly 10,000 on Tuesday with many thousands more trapped under crushed houses, schools and factories.
Rescuers were still struggling to reach towns and villages devastated by Monday’s huge 7.8 magnitude quake in southwestern Sichuan province, which is still being pummeled by wave after wave of terrifying aftershocks.
More than 18 hours after the quake struck there was still little news out of Wenchuan country, a poor mountainous region of around 112,000 people situated at the epicenter.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said nearly 10,000 had been killed, but the agency released a steady flow of grim news from towns across the quake zone which indicated the toll was expected to rise dramatically.
It said up to 5,000 people died in one Sichuan district, Beichuan, where 80 percent of buildings collapsed.
Entry Filed under: Random. Tags: Beichuan, china, china quake, earthquake, quake, Sichuan.
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed