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A street in Chengdu, capital of
southwest China's Sichuan Province, is covered by water after a water pipe
blew out during an earthquake on May 12, 2008. A major earthquake
measuring 7.8 Richter Scale jolted Wenchuan County of Sichuan province at
2:28 p.m. on Monday. (Xinhua Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A major earthquake
measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County in southwest China's
Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. Monday, the State Seismological Bureau (SSB) said.
The epicenter of the quake was
located at 31.0 degrees north latitude and 103.4 degrees east longitude, the
bureau said.
Five people, including four students in Chongqing and
one person in Sichuan, were confirmed dead as of 5:20 p.m. after the earthquake
toppled two school buildings and a water tower on separate occasions. At least
110 people were injured.
With a population of 111,800, Wenchuan lies in the
southeast part of the Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, 146 kilometers
northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan.
Wenchuan is home to the Wolong Nature Reserve,
China's leading research and breeding base for endangered giant pandas.
Minutes after the Sichuan quake,
at 2:35 p.m., an earthquake measuring 3.9 jolted Tongzhou District in east
Beijing. That quake's epicenter was 39.8 north latitude and 116.8 east
longitude, according to the SSB.
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A major earthquake measuring 7.8 Richter
Scale jolted Wenchuan County of Southwest China's Sichuan province at 2:28
p.m. on Monday.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
The quake was also felt in Tianjin, about an hour's
drive from Beijing, according to reporters from Xinhua's branch there.
Xinhua reporters in many other parts of China also
reported tremors. Reporters in Chengdu said they saw cracks on the walls of some
residential buildings in the downtown area, but no building collapsed.
Telecom networks in the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing
and Zhengzhou were paralyzed after the quake. People complained they were unable
to complete calls on either fixed lines or cell phones.
Aftershocks were felt in Chengdu within hours after
the earthquake.
Cracks were seen in the walls of some buildings. The
local radio station in Chengdu quoted witnesses as saying that some houses
collapsed in Dujiangyan.
A water main broke beneath a viaduct near Chengdu's
southern railway station, flooding downtown Changshou Road.
As of early Monday evening, the cell phone network
remained outof operation in Chengdu and Chongqing Municipality.
Xinhua reporter Hai Mingwei said his apartment was a
mess, with the water pipe in the washing machine broken and water flooding the
floor. "Bottles of drinks were also broken and the liquid was everywhere," he
said. He and his parents escaped from their home and joined crowds of people on
the street.
When the quake hit, Hai said the ground felt uneven.
"For a moment I thought I was dizzy and dared not walk."
Also in Chengdu, a man surnamed Wen burst into tears
after receiving a phone call that said his house had collapsed in Guanghan,
Sichuan.
A retiree in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, said in a
telephone interview that a wall in her garden had collapsed, while a repairman
in Chongqing saw the ceiling of his factory crumble and raised the alarm among
the staff, who quickly left the building.
Many parts of China, even the remote southern island
province of Hainan, felt the quake. So did Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
In Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan Province,
people rushed out of homes and offices. Many said they felt dizzy and saw the
ceiling light fixtures swinging back and forth.
The local government sent out text messages about the
quake. Schools sent students home or gathered them in playgrounds.
The Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and the
airport expressway in Zhengzhou were closed. In Lanzhou, capital of the
northwestern Gansu Province, the quake set off alarms of many parked cars by the
roadside.
Xinhua reporters in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region, said they felt their building rock back and forth for about
four minutes.
"I could hardly stand! The land was shaking," said
Chen Lan, a resident of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.
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A major earthquake measuring 7.8 Richter
Scale jolted Wenchuan County of Southwest China's Sichuan province at 2:28
p.m. on Monday. The quake was also felt in the capital city of Beijing and
Xinhua reporters in Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing also reported major
tremors at around 2 p.m. Monday.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
In Shanghai, people were evacuated from office
buildings in Hongqiao and Nanjing Road.
Maowen, a neighboring county of Wenchuan, was hit by
an quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale in 1933, which claimed more than
9,000 lives. Songpan and Pingwu in the northwest of Sichuan Province were hit by
an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 in 1976.
President Hu Jintao ordered all-out efforts to help
those affected by the quake. Premier Wen Jiabao was on his way to direct the
rescue work.
The Chengdu Military Area Command has dispatched
troops to help with disaster relief work, military sources said.
Jiang Jufeng, governor of Sichuan Province, has
ordered two military helicopters to go to Wenchuan to assist the relief work.
The SSB said it would send a team of 180 people to
Wenchuan, and the Sichuan provincial government also sent a work group.
The Tibet Autonomous Regional Seismological Bureau
has ordered three experts to go to Wenchuan to offer help.
China quake buries nearly 900 students
in Sichuan Province
DUJIANGYAN, Sichuan, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 900
students in southwest China's Sichuan Province were feared buried when a high
school building collapsed here in an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter
scale on Monday afternoon. Full story
Minor quake jolts E Beijing, high
buildings evacuated
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake in eastern
Beijing shook high-rise buildings in the capital and sent panicked residents
into streets. Full story
President Hu orders utmost effort for
Sichuan quake victims
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao on Monday
ordered all-out efforts to help those affected by a major earthquake measuring
7.8 on the Richter scale that jolted Wenchuan County of southwest China's
Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. on Monday. Full story
China sends troops to quake-hit county
for disaster relief
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Chengdu Military Area
Command has dispatched troops to help with disaster relief work in the
earthquake-stricken Wenchuan County of southwest China's Sichuan Province,
military sources said. Full story
Official: three Gorges Dam "not
affected" by earthquake
YICHANG, Hubei, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Three Gorges Dam was not affected by
Monday's major earthquake in Sichuan Province, which measured 7.8 on the Richter
scale, an official said. Full story
Earthquake felt in
Beijing
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua)
-- Earthquake was felt in the capital city of Beijing and Xinhua reporters in
Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing also reported major tremors at around 2 p.m.
Monday. Full story
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