Earthquake in China (1 Viewer)

[what971]

Death toll in China earthquake up to nearly 9,000

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer 16 minutes ago


One of the worst earthquakes in decades struck central China on Monday, killing nearly 9,000 people, trapping about 900 students under the rubble of their school and causing a toxic chemical leak, state media reported.


The 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated a hilly region of small cities and towns in Sichuan and nearby provinces. The official Xinhua News Agency said 8,533 people died in Sichuan alone and dozens of other deaths were reported in surrounding areas.


Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan county in Sichuan province after the quake, raising fears the overall death toll could increase sharply.


State media said a chemical plant in Shifang city had cratered, burying hundreds of people and spilling more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia from the site.


The earthquake sent thousands of people rushing out of buildings and into the streets hundreds of miles away in Beijing and Shanghai. The temblor was felt as far away as Vietnam and Thailand.


The quake posed a challenge to a government already grappling with discontent over high inflation and a widespread uprising among Tibetans in western China while trying to prepare for the Beijing Olympics this August.


It hit about 60 miles northwest of Chengdu in the middle of the afternoon when classrooms and office towers were full. There were several smaller aftershocks, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.


The temblor struck hilly country leading up to the Tibetan highlands, toppling buildings in small cities and towns in the largely rural area. About 1,200 pandas — 80 percent of the surviving wild population in China — live in several mountainous areas of Sichuan.


The earthquake, China's deadliest since 1976, occurred in an area with numerous fault lines that have triggered destructive temblor before. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Diexi, Sichuan that hit on August 25, 1933 killed more than 9,300 people.


Xinhua said 50 bodies had been pulled from the debris of the school building in Juyuan town but did not say if the children were alive. Xinhua reported students also were buried under five other toppled schools in Deyang city.


Xinhua said its reporters saw buried teenagers struggling to break loose from underneath the rubble of the three-story building in Juyuan "while others were crying out for help."


Two girls were quoted by Xinhua as saying they escaped because they had "run faster than others."


Photos showed heavy cranes trying to remove rubble from the ruined school. Other photos posted on the Internet and found on the Chinese search engine Baidu showed arms and a torso sticking out of the rubble of the school as dozens of people worked to free them, using their hands to move concrete slabs.


Calls into the city did not go through as panicked residents quickly overloaded the telephone system. The quake affected telephone and power networks, and even state media appeared to have few details of the disaster.


"In Chengdu, mobile telecommunication convertors have experienced jams and thousands of servers were out of service," said Sha Yuejia, deputy chief executive officer of China Mobile.


Although it was difficult to telephone Chengdu, an Israeli student, Ronen Medzini, sent a text message to The Associated Press saying there were power and water outages there.


"Traffic jams, no running water, power outs, everyone sitting in the streets, patients evacuated from hospitals sitting outside and waiting," he said.
The road to Wenchuan from Chendu was cut off by landslides, state media said, slowing the rescue efforts.


The earthquake also rattled buildings in Beijing, some 930 miles to the north, less than three months before the Chinese capital was expected to be full of hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors for the Summer Olympics.


Li Jiulin, a top engineer on the 91,000-seat National Stadium — known as the Bird's Nest and the jewel of the Olympics — was conducting an inspection at the venue when the quake occurred. He told reporters the building was designed to withstand a 8.0 quake.


"The Olympic venues were not affected by the earthquake," said Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing organizing committee. "We considered earthquakes when Skyscrapers swayed in Shanghai and in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, 100 miles off the southeastern Chinese coast. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.


The quake was felt as far away as the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, where some people hurried out of swaying office buildings and into the streets downtown. A building in the Thai capital of Bangkok also was evacuated after the quake was felt there.


A magnitude 7.8 earthquake is considered a major event, capable of causing widespread damage and injuries in populated areas.


The last serious earthquake in China was in 2003, when a 6.8-magnitude quake killed 268 people in Bachu county in the west of Xinjiang.


China's deadliest earthquake in modern history struck the northeastern city of Tangshan on July 28, 1976, killing 240,000 people.

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[fernando]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

the.world.is.crumbling

 

[sam04u]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

the.world.is.crumbling

QFT.

 

[Jess007]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

everything is happening to china....some people are viewing it as superstition, as a sign that the olympics shouldnt be in china, a few people at school think like that.

Me, im 'meh' about the topic.

 

[Frigid]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

This is what you get for trying to steal my inherent freedom of speech and personal liberty Communist hippies.

fucking grow up.

the political regime of a country and the suffering of its citizens because of natural disasters are two completely different things. do i see people criticising the Burmese junta when its people are dying from after effects of the cyclone? 10,000 people die and you call it "epic lolz"? heartless bitch.

secondly, what is business of your freedom? you don't live in China, you don't have any dealings in China, what China does is of no relevance to you as an individual living, studying in Australia.

oh, and mind you, we don't have complete freedom of speech in Australia either. idiot.

 

[sam04u]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

This is what you get for trying to steal my inherent freedom of speech and personal liberty Communist hippies.

Chinese communist hippies - stealing our inherent human rights since 18- err... never.

 

[sam04u]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

sounds like you need some nice new white friends.

How do you know they aren't white?

*heart* China!

 

[Besodeiah]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

even i think this thread way too far beyond the line, and i really dont give too much of a shit about anything.

get some tact mang.

 

[luoxiaohu]

What I still can't believe is that you think that the death of 9,000 people is "epic lolz". Hey, I have an idea: let's put you in an earthquake zone and see how you react.

 

[PrinceHarry]

People and the press are less sympathetic because of the perceived oppression and persecution of Tibetans by chinese gov't. People in the west are more interested in Britney Spears pregnancy rumour than 10,000 dead in China.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

what is business of your freedom? you don't live in China, you don't have any dealings in China, what China does is of no relevance to you as an individual living, studying in Australia.

You are an idiot.

China makes up 20% of the worlds population and has one of the biggest economies.

It is relevant to everyone.

 

[Besodeiah]

Re: Earthquake in China = Epic Lolz.

You can tell who is Chinese in this thread.

 

[chicky_pie]

Is god punishing Asians? First Burma, now this.

 

[Dongle]

The earthquake was probably staged like that mining accident so china could mass murder thousands of dissidents.

You actually believe the crap that comes out of your mouth? Or are you trivialising the loss of human life from natural disasters?

What a despicable attitude.

 

[gloworm14]

Is god punishing Asians? First Burma, now this.

maybe God is trying to even out the population of Asians:everyone else.

 

[ZJ NingNing]

Earthquake in China. How about just a minute of silence?

No matter where you stand in politics, a life is a life. And there are already 12000 lives lost from the earthquake.

This thread is for people to come in and pay tribute for the dead and seriously injuried victims from the earthquake in China. And NO POLITICS.

Starts from me: a minute of silence.

I hope with all my heart: PLEASE, let there be food and shelter for the victims of the natural disaster. PLEASE, let the rescue teams have courage and wisdom in their mission. PLEASE, let the world extend their warm hand to help the situation.

Your turn.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

Re: Earthquake in China. How about just a minute of silence?

You've got to be kidding.

 

[ZJ NingNing]

Re: Earthquake in China. How about just a minute of silence?

You've got to be kidding.

If you have no sympathy for these people crushed or buried alive by the disaster, then please stay out of this thread.

 

[Laphonso-Ellis]

Re: Earthquake in China. How about just a minute of silence?

I wouldn't worry too much about iamsickoryear12, he's just a fat , lonely loser.

I guess that's why he feels the need to lash out at innocent people killed in an earthquake.

He's a serial drop-kick online and off. All he does on BOS is go into threads attempting to spread his hatred.

 

[Salchow]

Re: Earthquake in China. How about just a minute of silence?

It's a pity that China's being through so much this year, when she's on the brink of being recognized by the world. I regret that the Olympic celebrations have to be cut back a bit, but it's only right. We're not that souless to pretend that nothing had happend. It's the worst quake we've had since 1976.

The disaster is going to be remembered at the Olympics and those who've waited for so long to see China on the world stage. Yet I know they wouldn't want to see a subdued Games. We won't disappoint them.

I weep for the many young students and teachers who scarificed themselves in saving them...the woman who knelt down and begged for help...the many thousand unfortunate souls...We don't get those broadcasts here...I've got satellite channels and it really is heart-breaking.

I was in a bad mood when I first heard it and couldn't get out of it to mourn. For that, I am guilty. I've also wasted tonnes of food this year and watching those starving children, I am guilty.

Let's keep curses out of here. This isn't a sign of anything. The Chinese civilization have been through so much for the last 5000 years and this is just the last of it, the last we have to get through.

After all, one cannot appreciate success without tasting failure.

We will not be defeated.