A powerful earthquake in Western China killed 400 and injured 10,000 and many others are still buried under rubble. The quake, which struck at 7:49 a.m. in Qinghai Province, had a magnitude of 7.1, according to China’s earthquake agency. Within that province, the epicenter was in a county named Yushu, a remote area of farmers and herdsmen, most of them Tibetans. A report said that nearly 90% of the homes in Yushu had collapsed.
Among those still missing were 20 children buried in the wreckage of a primary school, and as many as 50 people were trapped beneath a collapsed office building that houses the Departments of Commerce and Industry, according to news reports.
This quake comes after a deadly quake in the Sichuan Province, which is adjacent to Qinghai. That quake killed about 87,000 people. The quakes were both caused by the upward thrust of the Indian Plate against the Eurasian Plate. Officials said that rescue efforts were stymied by a lack of heavy equipment. Medical supplies and tents, they added, were in short supply. Phone calls to local government offices went unanswered on Wednesday afternoon.
Yushu is located on the Tibetan plateau and many villages are well above 16,000 feet. The temperatures are well below freezing even in April and with thousands of people now homeless, Chinese officials are rushing to airdrop tents and aid.
Among those still missing were 20 children buried in the wreckage of a primary school, and as many as 50 people were trapped beneath a collapsed office building that houses the Departments of Commerce and Industry, according to news reports.
This quake comes after a deadly quake in the Sichuan Province, which is adjacent to Qinghai. That quake killed about 87,000 people. The quakes were both caused by the upward thrust of the Indian Plate against the Eurasian Plate. Officials said that rescue efforts were stymied by a lack of heavy equipment. Medical supplies and tents, they added, were in short supply. Phone calls to local government offices went unanswered on Wednesday afternoon.
Yushu is located on the Tibetan plateau and many villages are well above 16,000 feet. The temperatures are well below freezing even in April and with thousands of people now homeless, Chinese officials are rushing to airdrop tents and aid.
How scary! I hope the world pulls together once again in order to help the victims of this quake.
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