TwoTone Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'm sure the original number will rise as the hours pass... May we keep these people in our thoughts and prayers... TT ___________________________________________________ May 12, 2008 By Ben Blanchard Reuters CHONGQING, China (Reuters) - China's most devastating earthquake in three decades killed nearly 9,000 people in western Sichuan province on Monday and razed 80 percent of the buildings in one county, initial estimates said. The 7.8 magnitude quake struck in the middle of the school day, toppling eight schools in the region. Chemical plants and at least one hospital were flattened, trapping many hundreds, state media said. Rescuers were still cut off from the epicenter in Wenchuan, a county of 112,000 people about 100 km (62 miles) from the Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu, Xinhua said. The death toll was expected to rise significantly. More than 7,000 of the dead were in Sichuan's Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, where 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed, state media and Xinhua said. "We are doing everything we can, but the roads are blanketed with rocks and boulders," Xinhua quoted Sichuan deputy party chief Li Chongxi as saying. Most phone lines in Wenchuan were down and a website for the region's Aba prefecture said the quake had cut several major highways and communications were largely severed in 11 counties. "The road started swaying as I was driving. Rocks fell from the mountains, with dust darkening the sky over the valley," a driver for Sichuan's seismological bureau was quoted by Xinhua as saying near the epicenter. Beichuan, part of Sichuan's Mianyang city about 160 km from capital Chengdu, has a population of 161,000, meaning about one in 10 residents were killed or injured. About 900 teenagers were buried in the rubble of a collapsed three-storey school building in the Sichuan city of Dujiangyan. Local villagers had helped dozens of students out of the ruins and cranes were excavating the site as parents looked on, Xinhua said. CRYING FOR HELP "Some buried teenagers were struggling to break loose from underneath the ruins while others were crying out for help," the agency said. Hundreds of people were trapped under collapsed schools, factories and dormitories in Shifang in Sichuan, Xinhua said, including several hundred trapped under two collapsed chemical plants. Some 80 tonnes of highly corrosive liquid ammonia had leaked in Shifang forcing the evacuation of 6,000 people, it said. Hundreds of people were buried under rubble in a collapsed hospital in Dujiangyan. Troops had begun pouring into the region with sniffer dogs, life detection equipment, and some firefighters carrying explosives to blow up rocks piled on the roads, state television said. Landslides had cut off three major rail lines leading to Chengdu, stranding 31 passenger trains and 149 cargo trains, Xinhua said, but no casualties had been reported. The National Tourism Administration had ordered travel agencies to halt tour groups to or through the quake area. FELT IN BANGKOK The earthquake's force was enough to cause buildings to sway across China and as far away as the Thai capital Bangkok. The Sichuan plain is one of China's most fertile areas, but it relies heavily on an irrigation system linked to the 2,000-year-old Dujiangyan flood control works - which means the quake could exacerbate inflation, already running at the fastest pace in 12 years. The quake is also the worst to hit China in 32 years since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in northeastern China where up to 300,000 died. It has come at a bad time for China, which holds the Olympic Games in August, and has been struggling to keep a lid on unrest in ethnic Tibetan areas and the heavily Muslim northeastern Xinjiang region. The U.S. Geological Survey said on its website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov) the main quake struck at 0628 GMT at a depth of 10 km (6 miles). Thousands of people were milling about in the main square of Chengdu late on Monday, where at least 45 had died and 600 were injured, state television reported. In Beijing and Shanghai, office workers poured into the streets. In the capital, there was no visible damage and the showpiece Bird's Nest Olympic stadium was unscathed. Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Chengdu and President Hu Jintao ordered an all-out rescue effort, Xinhua reported. In Washington, President George W. Bush said the United States was ready to help. "I extend my condolences to those injured and to the families of the victims of today's earthquake. I am particularly saddened by the number of students and children affected by this tragedy. The United States stands ready to help in any way possible," Bush said in a statement. Some 61 people have been confirmed killed in northern Shaanxi, 48 in northwestern Gansu, 50 in Chongqing municipality, and one in Yunnan province, Xinhua said, citing the national headquarters of disaster relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 First the new virus that hits children down in China and now this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 I'm sure the original number will rise as the hours pass... May we keep these people in our thoughts and prayers... TT Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Devastating !!!.. saw the news on line and could not believe the numbers.... the shock was felt all the way to Korea and Thailand ?? I pray for the families who are left without word of their loved ones .... makes world conflict seem so unnecessary.. trivial ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 I dont even have the words to express my thoughts... Truly horrible, incomprehensible. May God help them in whatever way they need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surpur Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 So many natural disasters. Nobody can imagine what these people are going through. All my best wishes are with them and hopefully the numbers of the victims will not increase. I think the times when people could afford money for wars are over - we have to concentrate all means on helping people in need, abroad and also in this country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiterpete Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 I live/work in a town of 10,000 - I can't imagine looking out of my office window one day and seeing everyone gone and all the buildings flattened - the families that this effects is tragic, sad memories forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 This is truly shocking, such an extreme loss of life due to an earthquake, it only shows how densely populated their citys are. 9 schools were also flattened so pray for the people but save a special thought for the kids. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 I live/work in a town of 10,000 - I can't imagine looking out of my office window one day and seeing everyone gone and all the buildings flattened - the families that this effects is tragic, sad memories forever. Do remeber China is one of the most overcrowded places on earth. 10000 is by all means to many don't thake me wrong but when this happens their the deaths will be higher then most other places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordRasta Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 My heart goes out to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andresmuro Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 There was a major earthquake in China killing a lot of people. I believe that some of the people that sell watches and participate in this group are from China. I want to extend my condolence to all the people of China and wish the best to those that participate in the forum and have been affected by this awful tragedy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubu Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 A special blessing to our dealers, forum members, and their families. May they survive and thrive. And prayers for all the victims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 This mornings update from Reuters... BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday 18,645 people were buried under debris in the city of Mianyang, neighboring Wenchuan county, the epicenter of Monday's devastating earthquake. Some 3,629 people had been confirmed dead. The death toll from China's most devastating earthquake in three decades has jumped to more than 12,000, a top disaster relief official said on Tuesday, as storms hampered rescuers in the most devastated areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 The dangers of dense population.....a horrible tragedy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalcranium Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 The dangers of dense population.....a horrible tragedy ...and very little engineering regulation and enforcement in areas that need it most. The cyclone disaster in Burma and now this. The unfortunate common denominator is a millitary government that cares very little for the masses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellomen Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 It's a dissaster.... Does anyone know if members and dealers from that area are safe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 I suspect most of our dealers and factories are in the Guangzhou area which is quite far from the epicenter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Trying to keep myself safe from TV news I happened to know about this horrible tragedy only today. Just one week after Nargis typhoon in Birmania. My thoughts to all those poor human beings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onzenuub Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 I've had contact with Joshua and he asked me to let you know he and his relatives are oke. They were not affected by the quake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellomen Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Thanx for letting us know, Onzenuub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 I've had contact with Joshua and he asked me to let you know he and his relatives are oke. They were not affected by the quake. Good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiss Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 We will keep them in our prayers. I am glad that I bought watches. I hope the money helps those business operators and their neighbors, friends and families and strangers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubu Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 I have contacted Andrew and Chris as well. They and thier families are OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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