China Struck By Another Earthquake

ralphrepo · Apr 14, 2010

This is from CNN this morning; it seems with the recent spate of earthquakes, mother nature has chosen China once again as a victim:

For a quick synopsis, just read the RED LINES.

Official: China quake deaths near 400
By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Death toll rises

Three thousand injured from earthquake in Qinghai province, state media report

USGS estimates most powerful of series of quakes at magnitude 6.9

Chinese government announces large-scale relief effort under way to quake zone

(CNN) -- The death toll in China's earthquake has risen to nearly 400 in a mountainous and impoverished area of Qinghai province Wednesday, an emergency official said on state-run television. The Xinhua News Agency reported 8,000 others were injured and many victims, including primary schoolchildren, were buried under debris. The 6.9-magnitude earthquake, as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 7:49 a.m. local time (7:49 p.m. ET Tuesday), when people were probably still at home and schools were beginning the day. The USGS also recorded several strong aftershocks -- one of magnitude 5.8 -- all within hours of the initial quake. Xinhua reported panic on the streets as crews launched rescue efforts in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

"We have to mainly rely on our hands to clear away the debris as we have no large excavating machines," police officer Shi Huajie told the Xinhua News Agency. "We have no medical equipment, either." A Chinese military official told Xinhua that the death toll was expected to rise, given the damage to homes. He said dispatched soldiers were setting up tents and transporting oxygen for the injured but affected roads leading to the airport could hamper relief efforts. The Ministry of Civil Affairs plans to distribute 5,000 tents, 50,000 coats and 50,000 quilts to the earthquake zone, Xinhua said. The epicenter was located in remote and rugged terrain, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Qamdo, Tibet. Qinghai borders the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang and the provinces of Gansu and Sichuan. Given the landscape, rescue efforts are sure to be "challenging," said Francis Markus, of the International Federation of the Red Cross. He spoke with CNN from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, which experienced its own tragedy in May, 2008, when a magnitude-7.9 earthquake killed roughly 70,000 people. "But China does have a lot of experience and a lot of resources," he said. "The capability is there. It's just a question of getting it to this remote spot."

Xinhua said the quake hit the prefecture of Yushu, a Tibetan region of Qinghai with about 80,000 people. More than 85 percent of the houses in the county seat of Jiegu had collapsed, a prefecture official told Xinhua. "Many are buried in the collapsed houses, and there are still lots of others who are injured and being treated at local hospitals," he said. Xinhua said residents near the epicenter also reported casualties and collapsed buildings. Karsum Nyima, deputy director of news at local Yushu TV, told Xinhua that most of the houses in the area were made of wood with earthen walls. He said some had come tumbling down, including a Buddhist pagoda in a park. In 2008, 70,000 people died when a 7.9 earthquake rocked neighboring Sichuan province, northwest of its capital, Chengdu.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/14/china.quake/index.html?hpt=T1
Click to expand...

Sadly given the typical construction of structures there, if the Sichuan trembler was any indicator, I suspect that structural resilience within that region won't be evident. Like in Haiti, where nearly 90 percent of structures fell, it seems that Chinese statistics would be comparable (if the 85% figure mentioned above is accurate). I wonder how Chinese people are going to read that; that the seismic effectiveness of it's buildings compare with that of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I don't know about anyone else, but as a Chinese that makes me rather angry. It certainly will be interesting to see which buildings fall victim to the earthquake (old, new, private, or those of government construction; ie schools).

Related Stories:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/asia/15quake.html?ref=global-home
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201004140027
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/special/2010-04/14/c_13250855.htm

Note: the XINHUA link has extensive pictures.

China Struck By Another Earthquake

ralphrepo Well-Known Member