Special
report: Strong
Earthquake Jolts SW China
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Rescuers clean out the debris pressing
on a trapped middle school student Yang Hong in quake-striken Beichuan
County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 15, 2008. (Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
CHENGDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the earthquake in Sichuan Province alone has exceeded 21,500 while 14,000 others remained buried as of 4 p.m. Friday, the Sichuan provincial government said.
Sichuan Vice Governor Li Chengyun said at a press conference that 159,000 people were injured in Monday's massive earthquake and 4.8 million people had been relocated.
Friday's death toll rose by about 2,000 from that of Thursday.
Sichuan had experienced 4,432 aftershocks in the past four days, Li said.
More than 140,000 rescuers, including 84,000 regular army personnel, 42,000 reserves, and many firefighters and police officers had been dispatched to the quake-hit areas in the province.
In addition, more than 32,000 medical staff were working in the worst-hit areas.
Thanks to their efforts, 2,617 people had been rescued from ruined buildings, and 2,216 injured people, including 1,218 seriously hurt, had received medical treatment, said Li.
A total of 97 helicopters and ten air freighters had flown 298 flights, transporting 512 people and 760 tonnes of cargo.
The national death toll from the earthquake rose to 22,069 as of 2 p.m. Friday, while 168,669 people were injured, according to the emergency response office of the State Council.
In Gansu, 364 were killed, 109 in Shaanxi, 15 in Chongqing, two in Henan, one in Yunnan, and one in Hubei.
Seventeen people had been rescued from debris as of Friday in the county seat of Beichuan, Sichuan, where only one in five people survived the earthquake, the Beichuan quake control and relief headquarters said.
Zhang Yan, a 36-year-old woman pharmacist, was rescued at 2:36 p.m. on Friday. She was unconscious and soldiers carried her on their backs to a nearby medical center.
A 72-year-old woman named Deng Zhongqun was found by soldiers after being stranded at her badly damaged hillside house. She had been injured by a falling girder and had eaten only nuts over the past four days.
"Thank goodness for the soldiers. I only weigh 65 kilograms and they carried me by turns on their backs, walking miles to reach the medical station," said Deng.
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Song Xinyi, a 3-year-old earthquake
survivor, is saved in earthquake-hit Beichuan County, southwest China's
Sichuan Province, May 14, 2008. Song was saved after being buried in the
ruins for more than 40 hours. (Xinhua Photo)
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Gallery>>> |
Overseas Chinese communities offer
donation to quake-hit China
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese communities in
Uruguay, Venezuela and the Philippines have offered generous donations for the
earthquake relief efforts in China.
Officials of the Chinese embassy in Uruguay said the
overseas Chinese in Uruguay have been rushing to donate money for the
disaster-hit Sichuan province in southwest China. Full story
Rescue work continues after latest
5.9-Richter-scale quake
YINGXIU TOWNSHIP, Sichuan Province, May 16 (Xinhua) --
Rescue work resumed in the quake-hit areas in Sichuan after a moderate
aftershock, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, jolted Lixian County of the
Province at around 1:25 p.m. on Friday and affected its neighboring places,
according to Xinhua reporters at the scene.
The magnitude 5.9 quake lasted about ten seconds and
reporters saw rocks sliding from nearby mountains. Full story
122 aftershocks above magnitude 4
monitored in epicenter after major earthquake
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- As of midnight Thursday, 122
aftershocks measuring above 4 on the Richter scale had been monitored in
Wenchuan County, the quake epicenter in southwestern Sichuan Province, according
to the China Earthquake Networks Center on Friday.
The biggest aftershock reported so far has been a
magnitude-6.1 quake. Full story
Chinese President visits
quake-battered Beichuan
County
President Hu Jintao
arrived at the quake-hit Beichuan County on Friday afternoon to console
quake-affected people and direct disaster relief operation. Full story
One more student rescued 80 hours after
earthquake
BEICHUAN COUNTY, Sichuan Province, May 16 (Xinhua) --
Rescuers have saved a student from the earthquake debris in Beichuan Middle
School, 80 hours after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Beichuan town in
southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday.
Rescuers said they could still hear week yelling for help
from under the collapsed building, and are expecting more miracles. Full story
60 hours to save 16 children, rescue mission in China's deadly
earthquake
SHIFANG, Sichuan, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The last child was
out. She was alive. There were a total of 16 young survivors. No more than that.
Rescuers sighed, partly sad, partly relieved, as they
stood on the debris of the Yinghua Middle School amid the half-light of early
Thursday morning after 60 hours of toil. Full story
Trapped teenagers sang pop songs while awaiting rescue
from school ruins
BEICHUAN, Sichuan, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A teenage girl has
told how she and her classmates sang pop songs together as they lay trapped and
injured in the ruins of their high school after the massive earthquake in
southwest China on Monday.
Li Anning, 16, was among 360 children pulled alive from
the debris of the Beichuan No.1 Middle School, in Beichuan County, Sichuan
Province, by noon on Thursday. More than 700 students are still feared buried.
Full story
