The worst earthquake to hit China in three decades leaves thousands of people waiting anxiously for news of the missing, many of whom are believed trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Authorities say the toll is now around 12,000, and rising.
CHONGQING—
<-- A Chinese boy waits to be rescued from the rubbles of a collapsed building in Beichuan, southwest China's Sichuan province on May 13, 2008 after an earthquake measuring 7.8 rocked the province.
Survivors of the worst earthquake to hit China in decades are anxiously awaiting news of missing loved ones as rescue workers struggle to reach tens of thousands of people believed trapped under collapsed buildings in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
“The building is three storeys high, with 18 classrooms. All of a sudden, the building collapsed,” one volunteer rescue worker from Dujiangyan, a former beauty spot in the south of Wenchuan county, said.
“Many people have died. The People’s Liberation Army are rescuing those trapped under the rubble. Such a terrible tragedy. Many parents are having to wait here for news,” he said.
A driver from the same town said many people were hanging around in open, public spaces of the former tourist town. “Most of the buildings are gone. There are now a lot of big holes in the ground,” he said.
In neighboring Pangzhou city, 10,000 villagers are believed trapped in mountainous areas. Most of the buildings have collapsed, and rescue teams and disaster relief supplies are unable to get to the city for the time being. An official from the local municipal government said: “We are waiting for the deployment of relief resources and rescue teams now. This is a line for asking for assistance. We are very busy now, so I can’t say too much.” Death toll at 12,000 and rising. China’s official media now say the earthquake death toll in Sichuan province has topped 12,000 and could surge higher. The vice governor of the southwestern province, Li Chengyun, said the death toll was based on incomplete figures as of Tuesday afternoon. He said 26,206 people were injured, up to 3.5 million homes destroyed, and more than 12,000 had been killed. Tens of thousands remain unreachable and unaccounted for. The official Xinhua news agency also said more than 18,645 people were buried under rubble in a single city, Mianyang, with 3,629 people killed there. Mianyang borders the epicenter of the earthquake.
