Earthquake Kills At Least 64 In China

[Tywais]

BEIJING—At least 64 people were killed and more than 715 were injured after several earthquakes, the largest measuring magnitude 5.7, struck southwestern China Friday, according to local authorities and state media.

The earthquake's damage was heaviest in rural Yiliang county, in a mountainous northeastern part of Yunnan province, near the border with neighboring Guizhou province.

At least one elementary school collapsed in the earthquake, local authorities said, and rescue missions were under way. Local authorities said it wasn't clear whether any students had been killed in the quake.

The earthquakes immediately rekindled memories of the 2008 earthquake in Yunnan's neighboring Sichuan province, which left more than 80,000 people dead. Thousands of students then were killed after shoddily built schools collapsed, sparking nationwide outrage toward the government over lax building standards.

Rural Yunnan and Guizhou are among China's poorer regions, and heavily populated by non-Han Chinese ethnic minority groups, such as the Yi and Hui people.

More here - WSJ

[Tywais]

Series Of Quakes Rattles Southwest China, Kills At Least 64

BEIJING -- A series of earthquakes collapsed houses and triggered landslides Friday in a remote mountainous part of southwestern China where damage was preventing rescues and communications were disrupted. At least 64 deaths have been reported.

The quakes started with a 5.6-magnitude shock before 11:30 a.m. along the borders of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, and another equally big quake struck shortly after noon followed by more than 60 aftershocks, Chinese and U.S. government seismologists said. Though of moderate strength, the quakes were shallow, which often causes more damage.

Hardest hit was Yiliang County, where all but one of the deaths occurred, according to the Yunnan provincial government's official website. Another 715 people in the county were injured, the sites said. Yiliang county's high population density, weak building construction, and propensity for landslides were blamed for the relatively high death toll.

China Central Television showed roads littered with rocks and boulders, and pillars of dust rising over hillcrests – signs of landslides. Footage showed a couple hundred people crowding into what looked like a school athletic field in Yiliang's county seat, a sizeable city spread along a river in a valley bottom.

More here - Huffingtonpost

[Tywais]

Quakes in southwest China kill dozens, damage 20,000 homes

BEIJING (Reuters) - Two shallow 5.6 magnitude earthquakes hit mountainous south-western China on Friday, killing at least 64 people and forcing tens of thousands of people from damaged buildings, state media said.

The quakes struck near the border of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, the first one at 11:19 a.m. (4:19 a.m. British time) and the second one about 45 minutes later, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Soldiers carry an injured person with a stretcher towards safer area after two earthquakes hit Zhaotong, Yunnan province, September 7, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer

About 700 people were injured and 20,000 homes damaged in the remote mountainous region about 350 km (210 miles) from the Yunnan provincial capital Kunming, the official Xinhua news agency said.

As the number of dead climbed throughout the day, state media reported that Premier Wen Jiabao would travel to the area, as he has often done when disasters strike Chinese regions.

President Hu Jintao called for disaster relief to be dispatched to the area while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

Most of the victims were from Yiliang county in Yunnan, near the epicentre of the quakes, which struck at a depth of about 9 km (5.6 miles) according to the USGS.

By mid-afternoon, authorities had moved more than 100,000 from the area as a series of more than 60 aftershocks struck. No deaths were reported in Guizhou province.

More here - Thestar Online

[NomadJoe]

Was another 5.6 just a couple hours ago. I am wondering if it is possible the neighborhood dogs sensed it all the way down here. ---> http://www.thaivisa....t-china-quake/#

Edited September 7, 2012 by NomadJoe

[Tywais]

Quakes hit southwestern China, killing at least 80

Beijing (CNN) -- The death toll may climb after a series of earthquakes in southwestern China killed at least 80 people and injured 731, a state-run news agency reported Saturday.

More than 6,600 homes were destroyed and about 430,000 damaged in Friday's quakes, Xinhua said.

Premier Wen Jiabao inspected stricken areas early Saturday and visited the injured, the news agency reported. Wen will direct rescue operations.

President Hu Jintao called for immediate relief efforts, according to China Central Television.

Xinhua reported that 100,000 people have been evacuated and another 100,000 are in need of relocation.

Initial estimates put the "direct economic losses" from the tremors at more than half a billion dollars, the news agency said.

More here with photos - CNN

[Tywais]

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[Tywais]

Rescuers told to keep at it after China quake kills 80

(Reuters) - Rescuers in southwestern China tried on Saturday to reach remote communities rocked by earthquakes that killed at least 80 people and damaged thousands of buildings, state media reported.

Shallow 5.6 magnitude quakes struck an impoverished, mountainous part of the country with poor infrastructure and communications on Friday and the death toll could rise as news trickles in from cut-off areas, the Xinhua news agency said.

The quakes cut off electricity and triggered landslides that blocked roads, hampering rescue efforts. Adding to rescuers' difficulties was rain which forecasters said was expected for the next three days.

"I was extremely scared when it started to shake. After it shook the first, second and third times, it was moving and I was extremely scared," said 56-year-old Zhou Weiping, a resident of the township of Guohui in Yiliang county, near the epicentre.

More here - Reuters

[Tywais]

BEIJING -- Rescue workers cleared roads Saturday so they could search for survivors and rush aid to a remote mountainous area of southwestern China after twin earthquakes killed at least 80 people.

More than 200,000 villagers were evacuated after Friday's quakes toppled thousands of homes and sent boulders cascading across roads in a region of small farms and mines near the border between Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, where some of China's poorest people live.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted local officials as saying the death toll could climb further because the quakes seriously damaged roads and communications, making it difficult to collect information.

The damage also slowed rescue efforts.

"Roads are blocked and rescuers have to climb mountains to reach hard-hit villages," Xinhua quoted Li Fuchun, head of Luozehe township in hardest-hit Yiliang County, as saying.

More here - Huffington Post

[Tywais]

Canada ready to assist quake-hit SW China

OTTAWA - Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said on Friday that Canada is ready to provide assistance to those affected by the earthquakes in southwest China.

Baird said in a statement that although China has significant experience with natural disasters and proven capacity in responding to them, Canada stands ready to provide assistance if requested.

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with those affected by the earthquakes," he said.

More here - China Daily

[Tywais]

Rescuers work round the clock

Rescue forces are working around the clock in search of survivors, after two earthquakes hit Southwest China's Yunnan province on Friday and killed at least 80 people.

A rescue team of more than 7,000 people including doctors, soldiers and government officials had arrived at the quake-hit areas. An additional 4,100 soldiers stationed in nearby Sichuan province were also mobilized to aid relief efforts, according to a statement from the local government.

Premier Wen Jiabao arrived at the quake zone early Saturday, calling for all out rescue efforts.

More here - China Daily

[Credo]

I saw on CNN that they expected the death toll to rise. Any updates?

[Tywais]

I saw on CNN that they expected the death toll to rise. Any updates?

I check a couple of times a day but nothing new yet. Will be posting the latest I've found now.

[Tywais]

China Mobilizes Troops to Help Earthquake Victims in Southwest

China dispatched 7,200 soldiers and militiamen to boost rescue efforts after two magnitude-5.6 earthquakes struck the country’s southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

More than 11,000 rescuers are working to clear roads, evacuate residents and search for the missing, Xinhua said today, citing the rescue headquarters. The government is “pouring” blankets, quilts, water and other relief items into the mountainous areas, it said.

The casualty toll may rise beyond the known 80 killed, 820 injured and more than 6,650 homes destroyed by the Sept. 7 quakes, as damage to communications and infrastructure makes it difficult to gather information, Xinhua said, citing rescue officials.

Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in the region early yesterday and spent a night visiting survivors and urging all-out rescue efforts, Xinhua said. The Ministry of Finance allocated 1.05 billion yuan ($166 million) to Yunnan province for quake relief, it said yesterday on its website.

About 744,000 people were affected by the earthquakes, it said. State and provincial civil affairs authorities have sent 21,000 tents, 31,000 quilts and 26,000 winter coats to Yunnan, Xinhua reported.

More here - Bloomberg

[Tywais]

More images here - Google Images