Posted on 05/14/2008 12:37:27 AM PDT by stlnative
China quake toll soars as full horror begins to emerge
14/05/2008
DUJIANGYAN (AFP) - The full horror of the devastating China earthquake began to emerge Wednesday as rescuers discovered whole towns all but wiped off the map, pushing the death toll well above 20,000.
Military and police teams punched into the heart of the disaster zone, with 100 troops parachuting into a county that was previously cut off while planes and helicopters air-dropped emergency supplies.
But the message that came back from this mountainous corner of southwestern Sichuan province was that town after town was flattened by the 7.9-magnitude quake that struck two days ago.
The death toll has soared well above 20,000, but that toll is rising by the hour as more information comes in from stricken communities.
"The losses have been severe," Wang Yi, who heads an armed police unit sent into the epicentre zone, was quoted as saying by Sichuan Online news site.
"Some towns basically have no houses left. They have all been razed to the ground."
A least 7,700 people died in the small town of Yingxiu alone, state media cited a local government official as saying, with only 2,300 surviving.
Across Sichuan, countless thousands more people are missing or buried under the rubble of shattered homes, schools and factories.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said 100,000 military personnel and police had been mobilised, indicating the epic scale of the country's worst earthquake in a generation.
The air drop started with planes and helicopters flying dozens of sorties, dropping tonnes of food and relief aid into the worst-hit zone, most of it cut off from the outside world by landslides and road closures.
The destruction around the epicentre in remote Wenchuan county is massive, with whole mountainsides sheared off, highways ripped apart and building after building levelled.
Rescue teams have been seen pulling bodies and badly injured survivors out of the ruins.
As well as Yingxiu, CCTV television said air drops were also made in nearby Mianyang -- where the death toll jumped to nearly 5,500 -- as well as Mianzhu and Pengzhou.
Helicopters also flew to Wenchuan with food, drinks, tents, communications equipment and other supplies.
The rescue effort has been badly disrupted since Monday by heavy rain, and the Meteorological Authority forecasting more later in the week, raising the risk of fresh landslides.
Amid the setbacks, the nation focused on the precious minutes going by for those who were buried under rubble but may have survived.
Cries for help were heard from a flattened school in Yingxiu, where people were forced to try and dig out survivors with their hands, state media said.
"The situation in Yingxiu is even worse than expected," one local official said.
In towns and villages across a swathe of Sichuan, heart-rending scenes were played out as grief-stricken families searched for missing loved ones.
In the city of Mianzhu, where at least 3,000 died, rescuers picked through twisted metal and concrete trying to find people whose voices could be heard under the rubble.
"My younger brother is in there," 42-year-old Li -- his eyes bloodshot from sleep deprivation -- said next to a heap that was once a bank.
The local disaster relief headquarters said rescuers had been able to pull 500 people alive out of the debris of collapsed buildings, but 20,000 in three outer villages were still out of reach.
Wednesday's leg of the Olympic torch relay in eastern Jianxi province began with a minute's silence before the runners set off.
Organisers of the Beijing Olympics said they would scale down the relay as the torch makes it way to the capital for the summer Games, a further knock to its troubled round-the-world journey after earlier protests over Tibet.
World powers including the United States, European Union and United Nations as well as the International Olympic Committee have rallied round with offers of help.
China welcomed the offers but said conditions were "not yet ripe" to allow in foreign rescue teams, citing damage to transport links.
A Japanese foreign ministry official in charge of emergency aid said Japan offered rescue teams with sniffer dogs, but China had made no request.
US President George W. Bush and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao discussed the disaster by telephone, with Washington offering half a million dollars in initial disaster aid.
Well I hope you wind many of the skirmishes in this war to save life. All the best to your people.
Neither Russia or China have shown much real care for their populace over the decades.
I appreciate the mention of Mao’s statement.
I don’t understand people who think this isn’t likely the chinese leadership’s thinking.
What baffles me, is why Russia thinks it’s safe to align with China. When China is done with the West, it’s going to set it’s sights on it.
Thanks Sue. It’s nice to see folks expess sympthy that can be read by Chinese nationals righ tnow.
Thank you for your response Ninesongs. I’m sure you speak for a great many Chinese people when you express your thoughts here.
Take care.
D1
haha,that's someone here will call you I think. ^ ^
I just learned these new words from some threads.I saw almost every chinese are awarded this title by some people here, which makes me recall the same thing happens in our chinese forum,dont' you? ^ ^
Nice to see more other warmhearted people here.They are more discussible.I just give you a warn which I feel may happen.Because your words are more like ChiCom with their angle of view.haha,take it easy.
That earthquark( so-called Tangshan earthquake) did not hit the same region. Tanshan is in the northeast of China, but Wenchuan is in the southwest, which also has a much lower density of population.
That’s a little ridiculous....
I can’t see why Chinese gov would want Chinese to think Americans are devils.And for most of them who live in Wenchuan, they got the impression of Americans from Hollywood’s movies.
You can make the case that I have gotten this all wrong, but after appoligizing for making my case, I got a response from someone who agreed with my perceptions.
The Chinese government needs support from it’s populace, when it does things. It just makes it easier if the don’t have to buck the home crowd.
China is gearing for war. They are spending a massive amount of their budget to build aircraft carriers and a slew of other top notch weapons systems.
Do you think the U.S. is intent on invading China? I dbout it. Who does the government think is going to? With that in mind, what is the need for this military build-up?
You’ll have to forgive me for thinking someone over there isn’t quite as favorable to the U.S. as some would think.
Once again, I like the Chinese people. I am not convinced th government is our friend.
I appreciate your comment. I would like to see your thoughts on this.
I am not trying to convince you that Chinese gov is your friend, and I never will. When it comes to politics, I believe that there would be no friends, at least no real friends.
However, It’s a pity that you get a totally wrong impression about Chinese. I sincerely hope that you can learn more about China, and it would not be hard in this information era.
As for that warthing, it’s really inappropriate to discuss it under this thread. PEOPLE ARE LOSING LIVES! It’s just a time for human beings to human beings.
Let’s pray for those who suffered.
I can only speak for MYSELF and express MY OWN thoughts.
I saw it in the biggiest news site in china and hope it will help you know more about recent news. http://english.sina.com/china/1/2008/0516/159405.html
Thanks for the link.
Thank you - that is a very nice website - many photos!
Thank you Yangsuli. I agree with your closing remark. Please don’t think that I think the general Chinese people don’t like us. I know that my thoughts for them are positive, and during this period I certainly with you and all of them well.
I have been quite sad to read of the earthquake and the problems it caused.
All the best to you and your people during this difficult time.
D1
here are some more links of the biggest china news site,all photos
http://news.163.com/photoset/00AN0001/4465.html
I was not attempting to say you literally spoke for others. I was saying that I am sure many of your fellow citizens probably agree with you.
Thanks for your response.
D1
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