The Chinese government warned that the death toll could reach 50,000.
10,000 are missing, approximately 14,000 of them buried, and eight provinces were affected.
The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless.
It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshang hearthquake, which killed over 240,000 people.
The predicted death toll that is up to 50,000 ,is a great tragedy, and they are not just mere numbers. They are lives, they are places that we have walked in, human being like us , air that we have breathed. . They are not just numbers . . .
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The Great Rescue in Beichuan Middle School The rescue groups were working in BeiChuan Middle School in the afternoon May 14th.
On May 13th, despite the risk of collapse and aftershocks, the rescuers overcame all difficulties to rescue the injured. The earthquake caused the collapse of almost 80% of the buildings in old towns and 60% of the buildings in new towns. Many people died.
The highway outside BeiChuan caved in and broke apart at several points on May 13. The traffic was interrupted .
Soldiers wearing protective suits and mask disinfect body bags of victims at the quake devastated town of BeiChuan, southwestern China's Sichuan.
A woman grieves for her lost mother in Beichuan, in China's southwest Sichuan .
Soldiers mourn on the debris of collapsed buildings while the Chinese national flag is flown at half-mast in the earthquake-hit Beichuan, Sichuan .
Parents whose children died during the earthquake mourn next to the site of their children's collapsed school in the town of Juyuan, Sichuan .
Rescue workers stand near earthquake victims in Beichuan.
A woman cries for her child who died during the earthquake near a collapsed school in Juyuan town of Dujiangyan, Sichuan .
People place flowers and light candles in memory of earthquake victims at the People's Square in Chengdu, Sichuan
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**I found this story in this website where the victims shared the true stories ,hoping that we can spread the story around ,& i think it's a huminatarian act to soothe other victim's heart.It was originally written in Chinese, and translated by volunteers.It brought tears to me =(
In the Sichuan earthquake, a friend was fortunate enough to survive, walking out of the ruins alive and with a story. It was a story that surfaces in every disaster, a story so common, yet it touches us all while we go about our lives.
When the rescuers found her, she was already dead, crushed by the collapsed building. They could see her through the debris, on her knees with hands flat on the ground, holding up her body. It was almost as if she was bowing ceremoniously, but her body was misshapen, crushed by the building. Rescuers reached a hand in to check that she was dead, shouting and using a stick to lightly knock on the bricks, waiting for a reply or some sign of life from her that never came. When the group turned their attention towards the next pile of debris, the team leader suddenly rushed back, shouting, "Over here, hurry!" He once again stopped in front of her body, trying his best to reach a hand in to feel the ground sheltered by her torso, shouting, "There's someone here, a child, still alive!"
The rescuers worked to move the debris carefully, finding her child sheltered beneath her torso. A baby, about four months old, wrapped in a red blanket with stitched with yellow flowers. Sheltered by his mother's body, he was unscathed. They carried him out from the debris, sound asleep, his sleeping face warming the hearts of everyone at the scene in the face of death.
A doctor rushed over, undoing the blanket to check for signs of injury on the baby. He found a handphone stuffed under the blanket, and instinctively glanced at the screen. There was a message on the screen, "My darling child, if you live through this, please remember that I love you." Despite having seen death countless times, tears rolled down the doctor's face. The handphone was passed around, evoking tears from everyone at the scene.
The young mother must have tried calling for help using the handphone, but in disasters of this scale, telecommunications often fail. She spent her last moments leaving a message for her beloved child.
I have come to know how fragile we humans are. . .
We are really blessed & lucky to be living.
The meaning of this tragedy has moved beyond just a tragedy.
We have learnt the beauty of life from the virtue of people in face of devastation.
Appreciate life , before it's too late.
Dear'all inti students , do donate money to contribute a lil in this tragedy. There's a booth near the bridge. :)
sincerely,
jingyun <3
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