Posted on 05/13/2008 5:02:44 AM PDT by Zakeet
DUJIANGYAN, China — More than 18,000 people have been buried under rubble in one town after China's worst earthquake in three decades, state media reported.
The Xinhua news agency reported that 3,629 are confirmed dead with 18,645 buried in the town of Dujiangyan.
A day after the powerful 7.9 magnitude quake struck Monday afternoon, state media said rescue workers had reached the epicenter in Wenchuan county — where the number of casualties was still unknown.
But rain was impeding efforts and a group of paratroopers called off a mission to the area due to heavy storms, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The death toll rose to 11,921, said Wang Zhenyao, disaster relief division director at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. At least 4,800 people remained buried in Mianzhu, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the epicenter, Xinhua said, citing local authorities.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I love the people, but hate their government. I hope the death and injury toll is much lower than what is being estimated.
What a terrible tragedy.
I just received an email from a friend of a friend. She and her family are missionaries in China, about 30 miles from the epicenter. They are OK but they are suffering terribly under the aftershocks. They come about every 30 min. and some are as big as 5.4. The little girls are all literally motion sick and scared. Please pray.
I’ll bet that it is much higher. The Chinese government cares nothing for the people because to them they are nothing.
Lucky for the Chicoms the epicenter wasnt near The 3 Gorges.
I think we may see some anger at the level of Chinese construction standards. There should not have been this level of death from a 7.9
I suffer from inner ear motion sickness. We had a small quake here in North Georgia a few years ago, and I mean small. I was in the bed for two days because of it. I cannot imagine the hell that this must be for all of those scared and suffering people.
Have you been in touch with your nephew? One of my prayers this morning has been that all of the foreigners in the country are able to contact their families to let them know that they are OK.
7.9 is an awfully big quake. The ground shook for 3 minutes.
IOWs, some more Chinese made crap.
This death toll is not surprising considering the population density of China. People forget about the Tangshan earthquake of 1976, which killed at least 250,000 people in that city.
If a 7.3 quake hit directly in LA, during the work day, I'm not sure they'd be THAT much better off.
First of all, 7.9 is absolutely huge, and for that long? That's colossal.
You know, these are the same guys who are now producing every single thing sold in the United States. What makes anyone think that these imported products are of any better quality?
Looks like this earthquake may well have been triggered by the continual movement of the Indian plate into the Asian continent. The Himalaya Mts were, and are still being, formed from this slow motion collision which began around 10 million years ago.
Geology of the Himalayas (Origins and growth):
"In the Upper Cretaceous (84 Million yrs ago), the Indian plate began its very rapid northward drift at an average speed of 16 cm/year, covering a distance of about 6000 km [~3600 miles], until the collision of the northwestern part of the Indian passive margin with Eurasia in early Eocene time (48-52 Million yrs ago). Since that time and until today, the Indian continent continues its northwards movement at a slower but still surprisingly fast rate of ~5 cm/year..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Himalaya
As long as Americans push for cheaper less expensive products, our nation will always be buying inferior goods. Thank legal action, unions, and tax increases for pushing manufacturing overseas.
Can you say, "Cobbler's Children?"
Yes, I guarantee a 7.9 in either L.A. or San Francisco would do equivalent damage. Most newer highrises would probably survive, but there are so many older unreinforced masonry buildings around that the same collapse problems would be rampant. And a 7.9 on the New Madrid fault could be much worse, since Memphis and St. Louis weren't built with any significant seismic reinforcement.
Most likely the death toll from that quake was at least twice that.
Have you seen the new video CNN has of the quake?
It was taken inside the airport some 55 miles from the epicenter.
It is terrifying just to watch.
CNN just released it about 15 minutes ago.
No, I avoid CNN. I'll have to check it out.
Horrible. May the victims RIP.
Gracious! There wasn’t any such a thing as 84 million years ago!
They could be thinking less people to feed....slap my face for even giving that a thought....
You’re absolutely right about a large-scale earthquake on the New Madrid fault.
A repeat of the 1812 quake would be horrific.
I was wondering about aftershocks. I pray for the Chinese people, and also for the missionary families. God bless and protect and calm these little girls and other victims of this traumatic tragedy.
It’s only a matter of time before the Three Gorges dam fails. An unparalleled economic and humanitarian disaster that China will no doubt use as an excuse for some sort of military adventurism.
What else would you expect from a governing culture that has typically treated its subjects like farm implements for the last 5000 years?
Negative...
In a bigger sense almost all of the Asian seismic activity is in one way or another connected to the Indian Continental drift but so farthat cannot be determined in this case. This (these) earthquakes are a result of movement on the Longmenshen thrust fault on the northwestern edge of the Sichuan Basin.
It is more directly defined as tectonic stresses from the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan Basin colliding, as opposed to India & Asia.
A little too early for your assumption.
“Los Angeles’ retrofitting ordinances, among them the so-called “Division 88” ordinance, require that all URM parapets be removed or braced, that mortar joints be tested and strengthened to meet minimum values for shear strength, and the unreinforced masonry be anchored to floor and roof diaphragms. Most URM buildings in Los Angeles had been retrofitted in this manner.”
http://www.cement.org/masonry/pp_wind_northridge.asp
There might be a lot of unreinforced masonry in places like Long Beach, Downey, San Diego and other areas outside of LA proper, and I'm not going to say LA would suffer no damage in a 7.9 shaker, but I'd take your bet and wager the City of the Angels would come out much better than any major city in China under similar circumstances.
Now your comments about the new Madrid fault are another matter. Folks in the Midwest are sitting on a big surprise that's going to hit them some day.
Which video? All I found was one of a light swinging. Can you post a link??
Your faith is touching. Run along now, and don't bother the big kids.
-ccm
it’s being shown on CNN (regular one) not the HNN version. (TV - CABLE - SATELLITE)
Did you mean to write 'at' instead of 'as'?
Oh...I’m looking on their web site....
Nope!
There is no such-a-thing in all creation as an 84 million year ago date.
I don’t know if too many First World cities would hold up well under a 7.9 three-minute earthquake. That’s bigger and longer than any of the recent California quakes...I don’t think California’s had a 8 since 1906.
From the pictures I’ve seen, that’s fairly rugged and rural country, and the rockslides and landslides probably raised the death toll even higher, and are keeping the rescuers from being able to get in supplies and needed heavy equipment.
}:-)4
What's this all about then?
Thank you everybody who care and pray for Chinese quake victim. I am from the quake area. The huge quake has blocked the main road to epicenter(WenChua), the ten thousands rescue soldiers are resuing victim and unblocking the main road. Our Premier (Wen) has arriaived epicenter and at May 12 ,he is a commander in chief for rescuing.
We are combating with the hugest quake in China history.
I will report the latest news about China quake.
Thank you again!
You know, these are the same guys who are now producing every single thing sold in the United States. What makes anyone think that these imported products are of any better quality?
It's not the products, it's the construction. Look at the photos, there are nothing but unreinforced concrete and masonry buildings with no structural strength. They just break apart and mixed with gravity fall down and crush thier contents.
Are you afraid Chinese made products are going to bury you in the event of an earthquake?
This is the problem with fraud science like Al Gore’s man-made ‘climate change’. It creates doubt about all science, even perfectly legitimate science. It’s disgusting what these leftists are capable of destroying.
You clearly have zero knowledge about reinforced construction or building/design codes that are strictly enforced.
'Severe' damage near China quake epicentre: military official
*********************************EXCERPT**************************
A town at the epicentre of China's deadly earthquake has suffered "unusually severe" damage, with more than 70 percent of roads damaged and all bridges destroyed, a top military commander said Tuesday.
Lieutenant General Li Shiming told state television that the town of Yingxiu was also suffering from perilously low supplies of food, water and medicine after the quake cut it off from the outside world.
"The situation in Yingxiu is unusually severe," Li said in an on-air interview.
It was believed to be the first on-the-ground information from the epicentre area.
Li spoke after a team of 1,300 army medics and troops had reached the area, located in quake-devastated Wenchuan county, in southeastern Sichuan province, earlier in the day by foot.
It was the first sizeable relief force known to have reached the area.
"Helicopters are prepared to airlift food, medicine, and water to the area once weather conditions allow," said Li, who gave no information on casualties or damage to buildings. It was not immediately clear whether Li was in Yingxiu.
The team had to hike in overland due to massive damage to roads in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.
Yingxiu has a population of 6,641, it said.
Our prayers will continue.
We wish you every success as you proceed with the rescue of all persons trapped in the wreckage.
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