The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Current affairsNews

Earthquake in China injures 11,000 and kills 180

Earthquake in China injures 11,000 and kills 180
21 April 2013
Carl Carlstedt
Avatar
Carl Carlstedt
21 April 2013

A powerful earthquake struck China on Saturday at around 08:02 local time (00:02 GMT) close to Ya’an city in Lushan County in the South Western Chinese province of Sichuan. The earthquake has killed around 186 people and injured over 11,000. 

The earthquake was considered by experts to be particularly strong due to the epicentre being only 12 km below the surface. Chinese officials measured the quake at magnitude 7.0 whilst the US Geological Survey put the figure at 6.6. 

The quake struck early in the morning, and people as far away as the megacities of Chongqing and Chengdu left their houses and gathered on the streets or courtyards of their housing compounds to avoid the danger of aftershocks. 

As the rescue efforts began, the casualty count has continued to rise and attempts to reach the villages that have been affected continue to be problematic due to blocked roads, landslides and disrupted electricity supplies. 

The region has some considerably steep mountainous terrain and it has been particularly difficult to clear a path to remote villages, where some of the most isolated and exposed people currently need help. 

“The current, most urgent issue is grasping the first 24 hours after the quake’s occurrence, the golden time for saving lives,” said Premier Li Keqiang who flew to the region soon after the incident. 

Aid workers and over 6,000 troops have been dispatched to the area and have been told by the country’s president, Xi Jinping, to make “every possible effort”. 

Helicopters and excavation equipment have also been deployed from military bases around Chengdu whilst tents, mobile phone charging stations and emergency supplies are slowly making their way to the affected areas. 

China’s mobile phone network service – a primary method of communication in the country – was sporadic for a long period, as people tried to contact family members and emergency services to inform them of their situation. 

As the golden 24 hours dwindle, survivors and people injured by the quake are currently being sheltered in tented triage centers in open spaces to prevent the risks that aftershocks present. 

Emergency personnel are continuing to help more people and are working as hard as possible to get to the affected areas, although the terrain in many cases has proved impassable. In one case, two soldiers in the area died after their vehicle slid off a road and rolled down a cliff.

Sichuan province is historically an active earthquake zone, and experienced a devastating earthquake in 2008 that left 70,000 dead and 4.8 million people homeless. The 2008 earthquake saw a phenomenal effort played by large parts of the Chinese diaspora who organised and contributed to the aid effort through fundraising and active volunteering. 

However, the subsequent corruption scandal that implicated local government officials as being responsible for the deaths of school children – due to the diversion of funds from the proper building of schools – is sure to remind officials that public attention will be fixed on the actions of those in charge.

Zhang Yong, a team captain with a non-governmental organisation called Blue Sky Rescue, estimated that there may be over 2,000 casualties, and that the earthquake was particularly intense. 

The search for survivors and the restoration of electricity and water continues, as the full extent of the damage is yet unclear.

Carl Carlstedt

Related Items

More in Current Affairs

Changes to expect during menopause

The editorial unit
Read More

Why Equity Linked Savings Schemes is a preferred tax saving?

The editorial unit
Read More

How the world’s top designers would rebrand political parties

The editorial unit
Read More

Royal baby furore: Proof that the British monarchy is still popular?

Eoin O’Sullivan-Harris
Read More

World Mental Health Day 2018: Raising awareness and combating stigma

The editorial unit
Read More

Seven political personalities you should know about

The editorial unit
Read More

Donald Trump: An enemy of the arts?

The editorial unit
Read More

Trump’s fortune: Where did the money come from?

The editorial unit
Read More

Snapchat Spectacles come to the UK

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Weezer with the LA Philharmonic and YOLA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • A Splinter of Ice at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Race to Save the World
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Motherhood Project: An interview with creator and curator Katherine Kotz
    Theatre
  • The Mitchells vs the Machines
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Shadow and Bone
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • 50 Next unveils the new generation of food industry pioneers
    Food & Drinks
  • 50 Next unveils the new generation of food industry pioneers
    Food & Drinks
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Campfire in Kings Cross: Two Tribes deliver everything you’ve been missing with a night of beer, BBQ and live music
    Food & Drinks
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

North Korea proposes negotiation terms
Taliban seize nine civilians after emergency helicopter landing