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Powerful earthquake shakes China
jack89 Date: 2008-05-12 Time: 08:26:56	An earthquake measuring 7.5 has hit south-west China, according to the US Geological Survey. Reports said tremors could be felt as far afield as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and Hanoi in Vietnam. The quake struck 57 miles (92km) north-west of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, at 1428 (0628 GMT), the survey said on its website. Earthquakes are common in China - in March a 7.2-magnitude quake struck in the western Xinjiang province. On Monday, workers in Beijing - about 930 miles from Chengdu - said buildings were swaying for about two minutes. In Beijing's financial district, workers poured from their buildings - but there were no visible signs of damage. Workers in Chengdu also fled their buildings. "We felt continuous shaking for about two or three minutes. All the people in our office are rushing downstairs," an office worker in Chengdu told Reuters. The Chinese authorities say they are still investigating the exact location and strength of the quake - which was initially reported to be 7.8 magnitude by the US survey. Source: BBC.
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Re: Powerful earthquake shakes China
jack89 Date: 2008-05-12 Time: 13:51:07	^ LOL. 'Hundreds buried' by China quake Almost 900 students are buried after an earthquake measuring 7.8 caused a building to collapse in south-western China, state media reports. President Hu Jintao urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims of the quake, which hit 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital. Premier Wen Jiabao is travelling to the area and troops are being sent to help with disaster relief efforts. Officials have confirmed 107 deaths in the area but the figure could rise. Cries for help There are harrowing reports from the scene of the collapse in Dujiangyan city - about 100km (60 miles) from the epicentre in Wenchuan county. Teenagers buried beneath the rubble of the three-storey Juyuan Middle School building were struggling to break free, while others were crying out for help, state news agency Xinhua reported. Parents were watching as cranes excavated the site. Villagers rushed to help with the rescue. Two girls said they escaped because they had "run faster than others". Earlier, four schoolchildren were reported to have died, and more than 100 others were injured, when primary school buildings collapsed in the Chongqing area near Sichuan province, Xinhua reports. Another person is reported to have died when a water tower collapsed in the city of Mianyang, in Santai county. A spokesman for Gansu province said 10 people were killed and 14 injured by collapsing buildings in Pingliang and Longnan. Forty-four aftershocks have been reported since the quake, which was the strongest to hit Sichuan province in more than 30 years, Xinhua reports. Troops and helicopters have been sent to help with relief work. The BBC's Quentin Somerville says the Chinese army has a good record of mobilising and getting people to safety. State television said the quake had not caused major damage to Chengdu, which has a population of more than 10 million people, or to the nearby Three Gorges Dam. In Chengdu, residents streamed on to the streets, cracks were reported in some buildings and water pipes burst. "Some building are cracked, but nothing major, from what we can see in the area near our hotel," Gilles Barbier in Chengdu told the BBC News website. "The quake was really strong, continuous. Two aftershocks could be felt." Workers in Beijing - about 930 miles from Chengdu - said buildings shook for about two minutes and many were evacuated. In the city's financial district, people poured out of buildings, but there were no visible signs of damage. Tremors were also felt as far afield as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and Hanoi in Vietnam. Source: BBC.
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Re: Powerful earthquake shakes China
tuula Date: 2008-05-15 Time: 09:16:50	I'm surprised that there's not been more comments on this thread. I'm not a lover of the Chinese regime, but all said, at least they're actually trying to help their people on this occasion, and are accepting help and aide from other countries. I did note tho, that the papers were all too ready to report that NONE of the olympic sites were affected....I personally would rather the whole lot had been destroyed if it meant that even just one life could have been saved. Human life can never be replaced, buildings can.
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