2008 Sichuan earthquake
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (May 2008) |
 | |
| UTC time | ?? |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 7.8 Mw |
| Depth | 10 kilometres (6 mi) |
| Epicenter | 31°05′02″N 103°16′01″E / 31.084°N 103.267°E |
| Areas affected |  China Bangladesh Pakistan Thailand Chinese Taipei Vietnam |
| Casualties | 3,000 - possible 5,000 dead [1] |
Template:Fixhtml The 2008 Sichuan earthquake shook Wenchuan County, Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China at 14:28:04 local time (06:28:04 GMT) on 12 May 2008.[2] It had a magnitude of 7.8 Mw according to the State Seismological Bureau of China and United States Geological Survey.[3] The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, where office buildings swayed with the impact,[4] and Vietnam capital Hanoi.[5] The closest major city from the earthquake's epicenter is Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.
Details
The epicentre was at 31.084°N, 103.267°E, in Wenchuan County, Ngawa Prefecture, 90 km northwest of Chengdu, with its main tremor so far occurring at 14:28:04 local time (06:28:04 am GMT) on Monday 12 May 2008. Early reports of the earthquake's magnitude ranged from 7.6 to 8.0. More than 12 major aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.0 to 6.0 were recorded within six hours of the main tremor.[6]
Office workers in Chengdu reported a "continuous shaking for about two or three minutes", with many people rushing outside. [7]
Immediate aftermath
Office buildings in Shanghai's financial district, including the Jin Mao Building and the Hong Kong New World Tower, were evacuated.[8] Phone calls to emergency response numbers in Chengdu were repeatedly busy.[9] A receptionist at the Tibet Hotel in Chengdu said the hotel had evacuated its guests, but said things were "calm" there now.[10] Workers at a Ford plant in Sichuan were evacuated for about 10 minutes.[11] Reporters in Chengdu said they saw cracks on walls of some residential buildings in the downtown areas, but no building collapsed.[12] The Chengdu airport was shut down, and one Singapore Airlines flight was diverted and landed in nearby Kunming.[13]
President Hu Jintao has said that the disaster response would be rapid. One hour after the earthquake, Premier of the People's Republic of China Wen Jiabao flew to the earthquake area to "lead" the rescue efforts.
Damage
All highways into Wenchuan are damaged, resulting in delayed arrival of the rescue troops.[14][15] Over 2300 base stations of China Mobile went offline, while Unicom network in that area broke down entirely.[16][17]
Casualties
According to a geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey, an earthquake of this magnitude is "very dangerous" and can cause major damage. The quake caused 45 deaths and over 600 injuries in Chengdu.[18] In Chongqing, 5 students were reported killed, 20 more buried and more than 100 injured when one primary school collapsed. [19] Abazhou government annouced 39 people dead and 5 missing. [20] In the city of Mianyang, one person was killed by a falling water tower.[21] Xinhua reported that more than 50 students were confirmed killed and more still buried when the Juyuan highschool building collapsed in Dujiangyan, the city nearest to the epicenter.[22][23] According to Ministry of Civil Affairs, death toll had reached 107 by 18:00 Beijing time.[24] A recent report speculated that casualties in Beichuan county might eventually reach 3000 to 5000. [25]
References
- ^ Reuters.com
- ^ Strong earthquake hits southwest China
- ^ "Magnitude 7.8 - EASTERN SICHUAN, CHINA". USGS. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Powerful earthquake shakes China
- ^ "Massive Quake Rocks China". CBSNews. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ United States Geological Survey
- ^ "Strong earthquake hits western China". MSNBC. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Chaney, Joseph (2008-05-12). "China's tallest bldg evacuated after earthquake". Forbes. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Earthquake strikes western China". Forbes. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Strong China quake felt as far as Thailand". Reuters. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Ford's Sichuan plant briefly evacuated after quake". Reuters. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Powerful earthquake hits Sichuan". China Daily. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Loo, Daryl (2008-05-12). "Singapore's SilkAir flight to Chengdu diverted". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ 四川汶川地震已造成成都45人死亡600多人受伤(chinese)
- ^ 重庆梁平小学死亡人数增至5人 掩埋20多人(chinese)
- ^ 汶川县7.8级地震已造成阿坝州39人死亡
- ^ "5 dead as China quake crushes schools". CNN. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ 四川都江堰聚源镇中学楼房垮塌 死亡人数增至50余人
- ^ 都江堰聚源中学垮塌 众多学生被埋(组图)(in chinese)
- ^ 四川地震已致川甘渝滇等地107人死亡34人受伤(chinese)
- ^ Reuters.com
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