China Earthquake – Photos of magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Chengdu, China that killed hundreds on May 12, 2008 with thousands more trapped in collapsed buildings, including 900 students at one middle school.
In the China earthquake photo above, rescuers try to save trapped students at the collapsed Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on May 12, 2008.
Regarding earthquake casualties, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs told the Xinhua news agency that 107 people were killed in Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces and in the municipality of Chongqing.
They also said that many more had died in collapsed buildings, but did not provide further details.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake is considered a major event, capable of causing widespread damage and injuries in populated areas.
Chengdu, China has a population of 30 million and has a mix of architectural styles ranging from modern skyscrapers to Mao-era concrete buildings to traditional Chinese courtyard homes.
The China earthquake struck in the middle of the afternoon when classes and office towers were full, about 60 miles northwest of Chengdu. There were several smaller aftershocks, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.
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.
Xinhua said an underground water pipe ruptured near the city’s southern railway station, flooding a main thoroughfare. Reporters saw buildings with cracks in their walls but no collapses, Xinhua said.
The airport in the provincial capital, Chengdu, was closed and roads were clogged with traffic after the earthquake, state television reported.
The last serious China earthquake 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.
And that’s the latest news on the China earthquake on May 12, 2008.
Tags: chengdu china, china, china earthquake, earthquake china, earthquake in china, shanghai earthquake, sichuan earthquake
May 12th, 2008 at 9:49 am
BBC News Update on China Quake
Between 3,000 and 5,000 people may have been killed by an earthquake measuring 7.8 in just one county of south-western China’s Sichuan province, reports say.
Some 10,000 people are also feared to have been injured in Beichuan county.
Desperate efforts are under way to find survivors. One school that collapsed has buried an estimated 900 students.
President Hu Jintao has urged “all-out” efforts to rescue victims of the quake, which hit 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu, Sichuan’s provincial capital.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Reuters Update on Sichuan Earthquake
BEIJING (Reuters) – A powerful earthquake in southwest China has killed up to 5,000 people and left as many as 10,000 injured, state media said, as hundreds of children remained trapped in at least eight collapsed schools.
An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed in Beichuan county of mountainous Sichuan province alone after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the region during the early afternoon on Monday, Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.
As many as 10,000 in Beichuan county were feared injured and 80 percent of the buildings there had been destroyed, the report said.
Beichuan’s population is 161,000, meaning about one in 10 residents were killed or injured in the quake. The county is a part of Mianyang city, and about 160 km (100 miles) from the provincial capital, Chengdu.
The death toll was expected to rise sharply as authorities and rescue teams made contact with the worst-hit areas of Sichuan, where phone lines have been cut off since the quake struck.
It is now night in the affected area, hampering rescue efforts.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Sichuan Earthquake Photos
Here are more photos from the Sichuan earthquake:
This one shows the cranes lifting huge chunks of concrete from the collapsed school where 900 students were trapped.
Here, workers lifted jagged concrete chunks from another collapsed building in Sichuan Province.
Photo of rescue workers in Sichuan searching collapsed house and apartment building for earthquake survivors.
Picture showing upper level of building in China’s Sichuan Province that collapsed in May 12, 2008 quake.
Young woman rescued from 7.8 magnitue quake.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
those were awful pics my little 5 year old sister could’ve taken better pics than wat u got
December 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
that’s sad pic were thers smoke thy pinch bzck
May 14th, 2009 at 11:50 am
China sucks
June 10th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
That was so AWFULL!!!Really sad.
April 15th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
GOD be with you China… We are with you. Hi from Turkey.
July 1st, 2010 at 12:45 am
Just want to add that it is really awfull how we are just consuming ever natural resource available on Earth. How will our children make it in the worl today. Please try to help by making some changes if not for me or yourself, do it for your children. I am doing my part here.
October 20th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Earthquakes fascinate me. I found your information about earthquakes really interesting and I will be back to read more soon. Thanks.
September 6th, 2011 at 12:58 am
i m deeply shocked to learn all about this misery…….
i will pray for soul of people who hAVE lost their lives in this massive earThquake……..
GOD MAY BLESS US ALL…..