Aug
9
Pakistan and China
Filed Under Local News, National News, News, Pakistani News, Politics, Top Stories | Leave a Comment
Pakistan and China have vowed to further consolidate their strategic partnership, with the main aim of promoting and safeguarding the fundamental interests of their peoples.
This was stated by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao at their meeting in Beijing. The two leaders reiterated their firm resolve to carry forward the decades-old close and time-tested friendship between the two countries for their mutual benefits. Talking to the Chinese leader, the Prime Minister said his democratic government wants to further promote relations with china in trade, investment and other spheres. The Chinese Prime Minister assured his country’s full cooperation with Pakistan’s new democratic government. He said that his country attaches great importance and priority to its friendship and strategic cooperation with Pakistan, which he said is in the interest of both the countries and regional stability. A Chinese official said that it was a most cordial, fruitful and productive meeting.
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Jul
11
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) – Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution Friday that would have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe’s longtime president, Robert Mugabe, and 11 senior members of his government.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe meets this week with Arthur Mutambara, an opposition leader.
According to a draft of the resolution, the measure would have instituted a travel ban on Mugabe and others in his government, frozen many of their assets and imposed an international arms embargo on the regime.
The measure received nine votes — the minimum for it to pass. However, two of the five negative votes were from Russia and China, who as permanent members of the Security Council have veto power.
One Security Council member abstained.
The resolution was pushed by the United States after Mugabe ignored the Security Council’s appeal to postpone the June 27 presidential runoff election.
The vote initially was intended to be a runoff between Mugabe and opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai. But Tsvangirai withdrew days before, saying Mugabe’s supporters had orchestrated a campaign of beatings, intimidation and murders against his supporters.
With their votes, ambassadors for China and Russia said they wanted to give the rival political parties a chance to resolve the election matter on their own terms without undue interference from the Security Council.
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Representatives from Mugabe’s party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), have been meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change this week.
Tsvangirai said Wednesday the talks, which are being mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, are focusing on “how to move forward.”
Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya said his nation believes the international community should allow the talks in South Africa on the Zimbabwe situation a chance to progress before imposing sanctions.
Wang said the adoption of the resolution would “unavoidably interfere with the negotiation process and lead to the further deterioration of the situation.”
“Many countries, including China, repeatedly called upon the Security Council to respect the position of the African countries on this question and give more time,” Wang said.
“China has always maintained the best approach to solve a problem is negotiation and dialogue,” Wang said. “To use or threaten to use sanctions lightly is not conducive to solving the problem.”
Wang’s comments echoed those of Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who said the Security Council would have overstepped its responsibilities had it approved the resolution.
“Recently, in the positions of a number of council member states, we have seen an ever-more-obvious attempt to take the council beyond its chartered prerogatives and beyond maintaining international peace and security,” Churkin said. “We believe such practices to be illegitimate and dangerous, leading to a realignment of the entire U.N. system.”
Churkin also noted that, had the resolution been approved, council members would have ignored appeals from the African Union to let the South African talks take place. He also accused the council of missing an opportunity to coordinate a response that would have “promoted the success of the political dialogue” in Zimbabwe.
Speaking before the vote, Zimbabwean Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku said his nation has been a victim of “incessant meddling” from the international community.
Chidyausiku blamed sanctions already imposed on Zimbabwe for its underperforming economy and the suffering of its people.
South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo also urged the Security Council to give the South African talks a chance to bring about a resolution.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the United States was disappointed at the veto.
“China and Russia have stood with Mugabe against the people of Zimbabwe … for reasons that we think are not borne out by the facts on the ground,” he said.
“The U-turn on the Russian position is particularly surprising and disturbing,” he said, noting that a few days ago, the Russian Federation was supportive of a statement adopted at the Group of Eight meeting in Japan expressing “grave concern” about the situation in Zimbabwe.
“The Russian performance here today raises questions about its reliability as a G-8 partner,” Khalilzad said.
The draft resolution expressed “deep concern at the gross irregularities” during the presidential election, saying violence and intimidation before the runoff prevented “free and fair elections,” creating “an environment that did not permit international election observers to operate freely before the June 27 vote.”
The United Kingdom, which has been highly critical of Mugabe, was a chief supporter of the United States push for sanctions. France also supported the resolution.
“The Security Council has failed to shoulder its responsibility to do what it can to prevent a national tragedy deepening and spreading its effects across southern Africa,” British Ambassador John Sawers said after the vote.
Sawers also questioned Mbeki’s efficacy as a mediator in Zimbabwe’s affairs.
“We have to be realistic. Those efforts have so far come to naught. The only one who has benefited to date is Mr. Mugabe,” he said.
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May
26
China fights flood threat in earthquake zone
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ANXIAN, China - China grappled with backed-up rivers and reservoirs in danger of collapse, along with looming storms that threatened Monday to compound damage from the country’s worst earthquake in three decades.
Two weeks after the magnitude 7.9 earthquake centered in Sichuan province, the confirmed death toll rose to 65,080 with 23,150 people still missing, the Cabinet said. The government has said the final number of dead is expected to exceed 80,000.
Many of the disaster victims were children - although no specific numbers are known - prompting officials to relax the country’s strict one-child policy.
The Chengdu Population and Family Planning Committee in the capital of Sichuan province announced Monday that families whose child was killed, severely injured or disabled in the quake can get a certificate to have another child.
On Monday, 1,800 soldiers arrived on foot at the new Tangjiashan lake in Beichuan county to fight the flood risk, each carrying 22 pounds of explosives to blast through the debris, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The lake is 2 miles upstream from the center of Beichuan county. Thousands of people who remained there after the initial earthquake have been evacuated in recent days as a precaution.
With weather clearing that had prevented helicopter flights, heavy equipment was also lifted in the area to help remove debris, state media reported.
But thunderstorms were forecast for parts of Sichuan later Monday and Tuesday, the China Meteorological Administration said, adding they “could increase the risks posed by river blockages in some quake-hit areas.”
The rains were likely to put more pressure on dams and reservoirs weakened by the quake. The storms herald the start of the summer rainy season that accounts for more than 70 percent of the 2 feet of rain that falls on the area each year.
The backed-up lake is one of several dozen in Sichuan.
In An country, about 30 miles to the south of Beichuan, a landslide blocked the Chaping river, submerging Shuangdian village.
Residents say the lake has been rising by about 7 1/2 feet a day.
“The water was covering the road, and two days later I could not see the roof of my house anymore,” said Liu Zhongfu, 31, a truck driver who built his two-story wooden house himself, standing on a mountain overlooking the new lake. A sofa and bits of wood that were once part of houses could be seen floating among the debris in the milky green water.
Liu was working away from home when the earthquake hit. His wife, 3-month-old daughter and 60-year-old mother all were unhurt.
“I thought I could go back but I have nothing now. My village, it’s all become a sea,” he said.
Water there was backed up 2 miles along the river, said Wang Li, county Communist Party secretary.
“We need to take care of this soon, this is a serious situation,” he said.
Elsewhere, 600 people were voluntarily evacuated from Guanzhuang in Qingchuan county because of landslide worries.
“There’s no danger for this exact moment from flooding but we are very worried because the whole mountain is loose,” said Ma Jian, a local official.
Problems with dams and reservoirs from the earthquake and its aftershocks also have been reported in other provinces.
The Water Resources Ministry said Monday that three small reservoirs in Shaanxi province, just north of Sichuan, were in danger of collapse after the strong aftershock Sunday. A total 2,383 reservoirs were in danger across the country, the ministry said.
China’s top Communist Party leaders said relief efforts should now focus more on resettlement and post-quake reconstruction, but that work to find survivors should not stop.
The shift was announced at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee presided over by President Hu Jintao, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said it would investigate whether flawed school construction contributed to collapses.
“We will punish those who cut corners during school building construction and will have zero tolerance for corruption and shoddy school projects,” spokesman Wang Xuming said in Beijing.
In Mianzhu city, the Communist Party secretary pleaded with protesting parents - whose children were killed in a school collapse - not to complain to higher authorities, the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper reported Monday.
Despite Jiang Guohua’s pleas, the parents of the 127 children who died kept marching Sunday and eventually met with higher officials, who told them the government would investigate.
The march was the latest example of growing anger among Chinese about the quake, especially the fact that nearly 7,000 schoolrooms were destroyed while school was in session. Parents at several schools have held protests, defying the government’s general disapproval of such demonstrations.
A photograph on the newspaper’s Web site shows Jiang on his knees, his arms outstretched in vain.
“Please trust that the Mianzhu party committee can solve this problem,” he begged the parents. “Don’t go!”
But the parents marched on, carrying photos of their children.
“We have no more tears,” one mother told the newspaper.
Also Monday, Xinhua reported that one of the two pandas still missing after the earthquake had been found.
The panda was recovered earlier in the day, but there were no immediate details given on its condition.
The pandas had been missing from the famed Wolong panda reserve, located near the epicenter in central Sichuan province. The center suffered heavy damage from the quake and five staff members were killed
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May
21
China warns over quake corruption
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Chinese regulators have warned that relief efforts for the Sichuan earthquake must be transparent, and say any corruption will be punished.
The Communist Party’s anti-corruption commission said any action that hampered progress or wasted supplies would be swiftly dealt with.
Officials are working to get tents and supplies to the five million people made homeless by the 12 May earthquake.
The death toll currently stands at 40,075, with another 32,361 missing.
Almost 250,000 people have been injured.
Rescuers now hold out little hope of finding any more survivors.
On Tuesday, two people were pulled alive from collapsed buildings but on Wednesday there were no fresh reports of rescues.
‘Entirely dependent’
Both domestic and international aid has been flowing into the earthquake zone, with supply planes landing from countries including the US, Russia and Singapore.
But China says more tents are desperately needed to provide temporary shelter for families.
QUAKE STATISTICS
Up to Tuesday 20 May:
40,075 dead
247,645 injured
145 confirmed aftershocks above level 4, 23 above level 5, biggest 6.1
34,000 medical staff in quake zone
Nearly 280,000 tents, 480,000 quilts and 1.7 million jackets sent
6bn Chinese yuan ($860m, £440m) received in donations, from China and abroad
Drinking water for 7m people restored
Source: Chinese government
See a detailed map of quake zone
Sichuan tourist trail in ruins
Town mourns as search goes on
Bulldozers have been levelling ground so that more camps can be set up, reporters at the scene said.
In one tent city in Mianzhu, a 52-year-old man told the French news agency AFP that he had nothing.
“We don’t know where we’re going to find money to rebuild our village,” Ma Jingsuan said. “We’re entirely dependent on the government.”
On Tuesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to send 250,000 temporary housing units to the region by the end of June, and one million within three months.
In a circular, the Communist Party’s graft watchdog told local agencies to deal “swiftly and severely” with any official corruption linked to relief work, Xinhua news agency reported.
The source, destination and quantity of relief supplies should be made public, it said, and police should crack down on any fraudulent collection of donations for earthquake victims.
There have already been reports of scam text messages calling for donations to help survivors.
In the earthquake zone, many residents whose homes are still standing have been sleeping outside because of continued fear of aftershocks.
Rain has also been falling, compounding their misery. On Tuesday, Mr Wen ordered patrols to constantly monitor all dams as the bad weather continued.
Thousands of residents have also been evacuated from an area in Qingchuan county where large cracks have appeared in the top of a mountain, Xinhua said.
May
20
Warning panics China quake zone
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Tens of thousands of people in China’s quake-hit Sichuan province have rushed from their homes after a government warning of a possible major aftershock.
People slept on the streets or drove to open ground after the warning was broadcast on television.
The 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit on 12 May left over 71,000 people dead, buried or missing. On Monday, three days of mourning for the victims began.
Early on Tuesday, one more survivor was pulled from a collapsed building.
A 31-year-old man was rescued from the rubble of a hydro-electric plant in Yingxiu, near the quake’s epicentre, after being trapped for nearly 179 hours, the official Xinhua news agency said.
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Man pulled alive from collapsed building eight days after quake
Such success stories are increasingly rare as rescue workers turn to the recovery of bodies from the rubble and to helping the millions of people made homeless by the disaster.
The government says 34,073 are known to have died so far and the figure is expected to rise much higher.
Multiple aftershocks
On Monday, a statement from the National Seismology Bureau was read out on television, triggering the panic.
In pictures: China mourns
Town mourns as search goes on
Uncertain times for survivors
Silent tribute: Your comments
People in cities across the quake-hit area rushed out of their homes carrying pillows and blankets.
Roads out of Sichuan’s provincial capital, Chengdu, were jammed as people headed for the open ground of the province’s agricultural plains.
The US Geological Survey reported an aftershock of magnitude 5.2 in the region on Monday night.
Government seismologists appeared on television on Tuesday, trying to calm people’s fears.
“Just because you can feel aftershocks, it doesn’t mean they will hurt you,” said Han Weiding, a researcher with the local seismological bureau.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean you should stand in harm’s way,” Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
It is not the first panic to hit the earthquake-weary residents of Sichuan.
The entire population of the city of Beichuan, close to the epicentre, rushed for high ground on Saturday amid fears that it could be engulfed by a river bursting its banks.
Dozens of aftershocks have rattled the area, the strongest has measured 6.1.
Chinese media said mudslides have buried 200 relief workers in the past three days.
Tents needed
On Monday at 1428 local time (0628 GMT), people across the country fell silent for three minutes as air-raid sirens wailed and car horns honked.
All public entertainment has been cancelled and presenters on state television are wearing black. The Olympic torch relay has been suspended for three days and flags are flying at half-mast.
In addition to those dead or buried, more than 220,000 people were injured in the quake.
QUAKE STATISTICS
Up to Monday 19 May:
34,073 dead
9,509 buried and 29,418 missing in Sichuan province
220,109 injured
145 aftershocks above level 4, 23 above level 5, biggest 6.1
34,000 medical staff in quake zone
181,460 tents, 220,000 quilts despatched
6bn Chinese yuan ($860m, £440m) received in donations, from China and abroad
Drinking water for 7m people restored
Source: Chinese government
In pictures: Beichuan evacuation
See a detailed map of quake zone
The quake was centred in the mountains north-west of Chengdu.
Nick Mackie was one of the first foreign journalists to reach the Yinchangguo region, close to the epicentre.
He says the popular tourist region was devastated first by the earthquake and then by massive landslides that swept away villages and buried hotels, guest houses and farmers’ home stays.
An unknown number of villagers and tourists lie under the rocks and mud, he says.
Although across the region a few survivors are still being pulled from beneath collapsed buildings, the rescue effort has now focused on providing food, shelter and drinking water for the millions of people affected by the earthquake.
The foreign ministry appealed on Monday to the international community to provide tents for the more than 4.5m people whose homes have been destroyed.
To help raise money for the long-term relief effort, the government is to sell special stamps starting next month. Thirteen million of the stamps, featuring three interlocking hearts on a red background, will be sold, potentially raising as much as $4m (£2m).
The government said $1.5bn had been donated for disaster relief.
Persistent rain is compounding the misery for the homeless.
And the weather may deteriorate, with rains turning torrential later in the week, potentially triggering more landslides, Chinese forecasters said.
May
19
China mourns earthquake victims
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China has begun three days of mourning for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.
Flags are flying at half-mast and at 1428 (0628 GMT) a nationwide silence will be observed to mark exactly a week since the earthquake struck.
The mourning comes as hopes of finding more survivors in the rubble fade.
The number of confirmed deaths now stands at 32,477, but officials say the final toll may reach 50,000. More than 220,000 people have been injured.
The focus of the relief effort is now shifting towards providing food, medical care and shelter for the millions of people affected by last Monday’s 7.9 magnitude earthquake.
Strong aftershocks are continuing to shake the region, hampering the rescue effort.
On Sunday, a tremor with a magnitude of 6.0 killed three people and injured 1,000 more in Jiangyou city. Thousands ran from their homes into the streets in panic, reports said.
Continuing heavy rain in Sichuan is also raising fears of new flooding and landslides.
Trading halt
At a dawn ceremony in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, soldiers raised the national flag and then lowered it to half-mast to mark the start of official mourning.
Uncertain times for survivors
Dams pose flooding risk
Life in tent city
All public entertainment has been cancelled and presenters on state television wore black.
At 1428, people across the country will fall silent for three minutes as air raid sirens and car horns sound.
Trading at stock exchanges will halt while the silence is observed.
China has also suspended the Olympic torch relay during the three-day mourning period.
On Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed gratitude for the international help with relief efforts.
“I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments and international friends,” Mr Hu was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Offers of help in the relief effort from home and abroad have now surpassed $860m (£440m), Chinese officials say.
QUAKE STATISTICS
Up to Sunday 18 May:
32,477 dead
220,109 injured
145 aftershocks above level 4, 23 above level 5, biggest 6.1
34,000 medical staff in quake zone
181,460 tents, 220,000 quilts despatched
6bn Chinese yuan ($860m, £440m) received in donations, from China and abroad
Drinking water for 7m people restored
Source: Chinese government
In pictures: Beichuan evacuation
See a detailed map of quake zone
The first aid supplied by the US has arrived, with an air force plane loaded with tents, lanterns and 15,000 meals landing in Sichuan’s provincial capital, Chengdu.
However, a British rescue team standing by in Hong Kong is returning home after being refused permission to travel to the earthquake zone.
There are still stories of survivors being pulled from the rubble.
One man who was rescued on Sunday, Tang Xiong, had only had slight bruises and was conscious when he was rescued in Beichuan county 139 hours after the quake, Xinhua said.
But other stories illustrated how hopes for those beneath the rubble are fading fast.
Video pictures emerged of a man wedged under fallen masonry. He was still alive, and was lent a phone to speak to his wife.
“I don’t hold out much hope of surviving,” he told her.
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The rescue operation continues
Rescuers later managed to extract him, but not in time to save his life.
Persistent rain is compounding the misery for millions of people made homeless by the quake.
And the weather may deteriorate, with rains turning torrential later in the week, potentially triggering landslides, Chinese forecasters said.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization warned that rising temperatures in Sichuan, combined with a lack of clean water and waste disposal, and cramped conditions in makeshift camps, could lead to outbreaks of disease.
——————————————————————————–
Are you in the area affected by the earthquake? What are the conditions? Is aid coming through? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below or text your experiences to: +44 7624 800 100
You can send pictures and video to:
yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100
If you have a large file you can upload here.
Click here to see terms and conditions.
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
May
18
China praises world’s quake aid
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Chinese President Hu Jintao has voiced his gratitude for the international aid following Monday’s massive earthquake.
“I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments and international friends,” Mr Hu was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Offers of help in the relief effort from home and abroad have now surpassed $800m, Chinese officials say.
The number of confirmed deaths of the quake in the south-western Sichuan province has now risen to 28,881.
More than 10,600 people are believed to be still trapped, Xinhua said, citing regional officials.
The final death toll following the 7.9-magnitude quake is expected to reach at least 50,000 people, Chinese officials estimate.
Aftershocks
Rescue efforts resumed in Beichuan, after the entire city was evacuated amid fears that it could be engulfed by a river bursting its banks.
QUAKE STATISTICS
Up to Saturday 17 May:
28,881 dead
198,347 injured
145 aftershocks above level 4, 23 above level 5, biggest 6.1
34,000 medical staff in quake zone
181,460 tents, 220,000 quilts despatched
6bn Chinese yuan ($860m, £440m) received in donations, from China and abroad
Drinking water for 7m people restored
Source: Chinese government
In pictures: Beichuan evacuation
See a detailed map of quake zone
The city - that lies near the epicentre of the quake - was reduced to ruins.
But the search was halted on Saturday as rumours of a flood saw a stampede of people fleeing to higher ground.
Several people were dug out of the rubble on Saturday, including a 31-year-old woman in Deyang city, and a 33-year-old miner in Shifang, both about 124 hours after being buried.
The region shuddered again as a strong aftershock - measured by the US Geological Survey at 6.0 - struck at 0108 Sunday local time (1508 GMT Saturday).
There have been hundreds of aftershocks since Monday’s quake, some causing landslides which have made conditions even more difficult.
Mass graves
The Chinese government has organised a massive search and rescue effort. It released figures on Saturday demonstrating the scale of the operation.
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A woman found under the rubble some 124 hours after the quake
It said 198,347 people had been recorded injured, not just in Sichuan, but in Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hubei, Henan, and Guizhou provinces.
It said some 181,460 tents, 220,000 quilts, and 170,000 cotton-padded garments had been despatched to the disaster area.
Rescue teams from South Korea, Singapore and Russia have joined Japanese and Taiwanese experts taking part in the massive search.
Uncertain times for survivors
Dams pose flooding risk
Life in tent city
The specialist teams are equipped with sniffer dogs, and fibre-optic cameras and heat sensors to detect people buried under the rubble.
But experts say the chances of finding people alive are diminishing, and increasingly it is dead bodies which are being retrieved.
The authorities have resorted to burying the bodies in mass graves in an effort to prevent disease.
People in the quake zone are being told to wear face masks and disinfectant teams are out in force.
——————————————————————————–
Are you in the area affected by the earthquake? What are the conditions? Is aid coming through? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below or text your experiences to: +44 7624 800 100
You can send pictures and video to:
yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100
If you have a large file you can upload here.
Click here to see terms and conditions.
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Source
May
15
MIENYANG, China (CNN) — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday ordered 90 more helicopters for rescue missions in Sichuan province, adding urgency to the massive relief operations under way since Monday’s devastating earthquake.
Rescuers carry the injured from the quake-stricken town of Yingxiu Wednesday in Sichuan province.
1 of 3more photos » As mudslides, debris and fallen rocks blocked rescuers and aid workers from China’s quake-hit areas, Wen ordered 90 more helicopters to the region, Xinhua reported.
Since the 7.9-magnitude quake struck Monday, China has dispatched 20 choppers for dropping food and water, transporting the injured and delivering rescuers, Xinhua reported. Thursday’s order brings the total to 110.
Rescuers continued their attempts to save those trapped beneath the rubble at schools, businesses and homes.
Aftershocks at times forced rescuers to turn away from the fallen buildings, leaving crowds frustrated without knowing the fate of loved ones. Video from one disaster scene shows a woman clinging to a crane after rescuers suspended a mission at a crumbled building, deeming the site to dangerous to enter.
But there were scattered stories of survival. A 3-year-old girl was rescued from beneath a toppled building in Sichuan’s Beichuan County on Thursday, Xinhua said. Photos of the rescue showed the girl sustained a leg injury, but was otherwise alert.
A frightened seventh-grade girl was pulled safely from the rubble of a school dormitory Wednesday evening — 50 hours after she was buried by Monday’s earthquake, state-run media said.
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In a weak voice, the trapped girl called out to one of the rescuers, “uncle, save me, save me,” he said. “If anything (bad) had happened to her, the voice could haunt me for the rest of my life.”
More than 4.3 million homes collapsed or sustained damage, according to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, and the official death toll from the quake had reached 14,866 by Wednesday evening. But casualty figures from various cities indicate a higher number of dead.
The state-run Xinhua news agency has provided death tolls for eight communities in Sichuan province that add up to nearly 20,000, including roughly 7,700 who perished in the town of Yingxiu, near the earthquake’s epicenter. CNN cannot independently confirm the tallies.
The girl rescued at Muyu Middle School in Sichuan province was among 89 children pulled from the rubble alive. At least 201 students were killed when the building collapsed while many were napping, according to China.org. More than 100 children escaped from the school in Qingchuan County, and rescuers were searching for an unspecified number still believed to be trapped.
Wang Guangfen, a nurse, climbed under a cement slab to give the girl, He Cuiqing, medicine, while other rescuers carefully moved slabs until they could remove the girl.
“She appeared very fragile, and there were blood stains on her chest,” said China.org, quoting Wang. “But she was still conscious, and called me aunt when I reached her.”
Elsewhere in the stricken region, videotape showed a 3-year-old pulled out alive after more than 40 hours in rubble, and a pregnant woman safely rescued, as a small crowd cheered.
In other developments:
Video showed soldiers and relief teams swarmed over mountainsides and piles of debris in and near the epicenter of the quake in Sichuan province, looking for signs of life. Helicopters were flying overhead, some of them dropping food and other supplies.
Hours after 2,000 troops were dispatched to the Zipingpu dam upstream from the earthquake-hit Dujiangyan City, a probe revealed that the dam is stable and safe, Xinhua reported. It was not immediately clear what type of investigation was conducted. State-run media said earlier that the dam on Zipingpu Reservoir had “severe cracks.”
Twelve American eco-tourists who were thought to be missing Monday after the quake were able to contact their loved ones by cell phone to let them know they are alive, said an official with World Wildlife Fund, which sponsored the tour. But two Chinese WWF volunteers remain missing.
Fifteen British nationals have been reported missing near the panda preserve. “We have no reports so far of any casualties to British citizens, but we do remain very concerned about reports of some UK citizens being in the affected area,” said William Ehrman, British ambassador to China. “We are doing everything that we can to locate them.”
More than 30,000 people are “missing or out of reach” in Shifang, Xinhua reported. Citing local government, Xinhua said that the death toll in the city exceeded 2,500. Two chemical plants collapsed, trapping hundreds of people, Xinhua reported Monday. More than 80 tons of of ammonia leaked out, it said. A local official said there were no deaths. The news agency’s Wednesday report made no mention of the people it had said were trapped in the chemical plants.
Mianyang has become a massive refugee camp for survivors, Xinhua reported. Thousands of people uprooted around the region are taking shelter downtown at the city’s main sports gym and other facilities. Reports say 7,395 people have died and 18,645 are trapped in debris in the city. Among those trapped were about 1,000 students at a middle school
May
15
China airdrop for quake survivors
Filed Under BBC News, News, Top Stories | Leave a Comment
China is mobilising 30,000 extra troops and 90 more helicopters to help with the rescue operation after Monday’s devastating earthquake.
About 10 million people in Sichuan province have been directly affected by the 7.9 quake that flattened entire villages, state media said.
Nearly 15,000 people are known to have been killed, and another 26,000 are still trapped in the rubble.
The extra troops will bring food and water, and help to rescue survivors.
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They will add to the efforts of almost 50,000 soldiers and police already despatched to the region to dig any remaining survivors out of the rubble and bring food, medicine and drinking water to those made homeless.
The Chinese government has appealed to the public to donate basic equipment to help in the rescue operation. It said hammers, cranes, shovels and rubber boats were urgently needed.
China’s air force, army aviation and civil aviation have carried out the largest non-combat air operation in the three days since the disaster, state news agency Xinhua said.
Elite troops have been parachuted in to isolated or cut off areas and officials say every affected county has now been reached and rescue efforts started.
The BBC’s Dan Griffiths in Dujiangyan says the relief operation is massive, but there is little chance of finding anyone else alive.
See a detailed map of quake zone
Troops were deployed to Zipingku dam, to repair cracks caused by the earth tremors. It has now been pronounced stable and safe, but there are concerns for almost 400 other dams in the area that may also have been damaged, he says.
Landslides
The Chinese military plans to conduct large-scale airdrops of food, clothing and blankets over the worst-hit areas, including the districts of Beichuan and Wenchuan.
The helicopters are needed because many of the roads in the mountainous area near the epicentre have been badly damaged by the earthquake or have been covered by landslides.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said: “We must use all our forces, and save lives at whatever costs.
Injured have been air-lifted from the quake-hit town of Yingxiu
“Life is the most precious thing.”
The relief effort has also been hampered by bad weather, while an aftershock was reported in Yingxiu, a town close to the quake’s epicentre where more than three-quarters of the 10,000 residents perished.
A local resident who had walked out of one of the isolated villages, Qingping, said half of the village’s population of 2,000 was injured, and survivors were in need of medicine and drinking water, Xinhua reported.
Few survivors
RECENT CHINA QUAKES
March, 2008: 7.2 quake in Xinjiang - damage limited
February 2003: 6.8 quake in Xinjiang - at least 94 dead, 200 hurt
January 1998: 6.2 quake in rural Hebei - at least 47 dead, 2,000 hurt
April 1997: 6.6 quake hits Xinjiang - 9 dead, 60 hurt
January 1997: 6.4 quake in Xinjiang - 50 dead, 40 hurt
How earthquakes happen
History of deadly earthquakes
The head of a police unit sent into the disaster zone said the losses had been severe.
“Some towns basically have no houses left,” Wang Yi told Sichuan Online news site. “They have all been razed to the ground.”
The official toll for the number of dead now stands at 14,866, Xinhua news agency reports.
It is three days since the earthquake hit and the number of survivors being rescued is dropping.
The head of China’s Seismological Bureau, Liu Yuchen, said 82 survivors had been dug out of debris on Wednesday, including a pregnant woman.
Rescuers took six hours to pull another person out, he said.
Tens of thousands of people made homeless are staying in tents and makeshift shelters that line the streets of ruined towns and villages.
In the town of Hanwang survivors were seen at the side of the road begging for food and water from passing cars, the Associated Press reported.
The Chinese government says it has allocated another 250m yuan ($35m) for aid, bringing its disaster spending to 1.11bn yuan.
Members of the public have also donated millions of yuan in both cash and goods.
Far from the earthquake zone in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, people have been giving blood and donating clothing.
Relief organisations in Taiwan are also sending two plane loads of relief materials and volunteers to south-west China.
Around 150 tonnes of goods - including tents, sleeping bags and blankets - are being sent in the first two cargo flights, donated by several Taiwanese religious and charity groups.
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May
13
Death toll rises in China quake
Filed Under BBC News, Most Pepular, News, Top Stories, World News | Leave a Comment
The most powerful earthquake to hit China in 30 years has killed at least 10,000 people in south-western Sichuan province, with thousands more trapped.
Chinese state media said that 10,000 people were thought to be buried in one town alone near the epicentre of the earthquake in Wenchuan County.
A team of 1,300 troops and medics has now reached Wenchuan, which was largely cut off by the quake.
Premier Wen Jiabao has urged rescuers to work as hard as they can.
But rescue efforts are being hampered by heavy rain and badly damaged roads.
Latest from Dujiangyan
In pictures: China earthquake
“People’s lives and property safety are the top priorities and many people are still trapped in debris,” Xinhua news agency quoted Mr Wen as saying in the disaster relief headquarters, north-west of Sichuan’s provincial capital, Chengdu.
“We must treasure every second and do our utmost to save survivors.”
China has deployed 50,000 troops to help with relief efforts, 16,000 of whom are already in the area.
The BBC’s Nick Mackie in Dujiangyan says there are hundreds if not thousands of people just sleeping out in the streets under tarpaulins, after torrential rain fell all through the night.
Cries for help
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck on Monday at 1428 local time (0628 GMT) and was felt as far away as Beijing and the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Boulders and landslides are blocking roads in the worst-hit areas and helicopters have been unable to land because of bad weather.
See a map of earthquake area
In Wenchuan County, a top official, Wang Bin, appealed via satellite phone for outside help.
“We are in urgent need of tents, food, medicine and satellite communications equipment through air drop,” he said.
“We also need medical workers to save the injured people here.”
In the nearby town of Mianzhu, 10,000 people were thought to be buried and massive landslides had buried roads to outlying villages, Xinhua reported.
Across the region, schools, hospitals and chemical plants were all reported to have been affected.
There were harrowing reports from the scene of a school collapse in Dujiangyan city - south-east of the epicentre - where 900 students were buried and at least 50 killed.
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The moment the earthquake struck
Teenagers buried beneath the rubble of the three-storey Juyuan Middle School building struggled to break free, while others cried out for help, Xinhua reported.
Another of the worst-hit areas appears to be Beichuan county, about 50km from the epicentre.
Some 80% of buildings there were reported to have been destroyed, leaving between 3,000 and 5,000 people dead and up to 10,000 injured.
Another school collapsed there, leaving more than 1,000 students dead or buried, Xinhua said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people were reported to have been buried in two collapsed chemical plants in Shifang in Sichuan, and at least five other schools were reported to be in ruins.
More than 150 people were killed in the other provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, and in Chongqing municipality, Xinhua said.
‘All-out efforts’
US President George W Bush expressed condolences to victims’ families, while Japan offered to send aid.
“The Chinese government are to be commended for their quick and efficient response. The UK stands ready to assist,” said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. RECENT CHINA QUAKES
March, 2008: 7.2 quake in Xinjiang - damage limited
February 2003: 6.8 quake in Xinjiang - at least 94 dead, 200 hurt
January 1998: 6.2 quake in rural Hebei - at least 47 dead, 2,000 hurt
April 1997: 6.6 quake hits Xinjiang - 9 dead, 60 hurt
January 1997: 6.4 quake in Xinjiang - 50 dead, 40 hurt
How earthquakes happen
History of deadly earthquakes
Several strong aftershocks have been reported since the quake, China’s worst since 1976 when 242,000 people were killed in Tangshan.
Immediately after the disaster, President Hu Jintao has urged “all-out” efforts to rescue victims.
The BBC’s Quentin Somerville says this is probably the most significant natural disaster to hit China in recent memory, but that the Chinese army has a good record of mobilising and getting people to safety.
He also says it is one of the most open and speedy responses to an emergency he has ever seen from Chinese state media.
The fact the quake was felt in Beijing, he says, means millions of people will feel connected to the disaster and will be watching TV screens closely to see how the government responds.
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Are you in the area? Can you see the rescue operation? Did you feel the earthquake in your country? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below or text your experiences to: +44 7624 800 100
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yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100
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