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Earthquake Hits Western China
The extent of the devastation in China, after an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck, is still being realised. Environment correspondent Catherine Jacob reports
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CHENGDU, China — A powerful earthquake struck southwestern China on Monday, toppling thousands of homes, factories and offices, trapping students in schools, and killing at least 10,000 people, the country's worst natural disaster in three decades.

The quake, which was estimated preliminarily to have had a magnitude of 7.9, ravaged a mountainous region outside Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, just after lunchtime Monday, destroying 80 percent of structures in some of the towns and small cities near its epicenter, Chinese officials said. Its tremors were felt as far away as Vietnam and set off another, smaller quake in the outskirts of Beijing, 900 miles away.

China's state news agency says nearly 15,000 people have died in the earthquake that hit the country's south-western Sichuan province two days ago. Over a thousand people are thought to be missing with tens of thousands still buried in rubble. The Chinese government has mobilised the army in an effort to provide relief and to search for survivors in China's worst earthquake in 30 years. Bad weather has hampered aid efforts so far and officials have warned of further landslides and flooding. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has been in the provincial capital of Chengdu, since Monday to offer his support.

The most powerful earthquake in 30 years devastated the southwest of the country.
Rescue teams are digging through rubble, trying to reach survivors of a powerful earthquake in China. Bodies covered with sheets lined streets yesterday as rescue workers dug through schools and homes turned into rubble. The total number of casualties remains unknown as heavy storms prevented relief workers from reaching victims at the epicenter of the powerful quake. The official death toll rose to more than 12,000 in Sichuan Province alone, with thousands remained buried or missing.

There was concern today for a group of 15 British tourists missing in the Chinese earthquake.The quake was centered just north of the Sichuan provincial capital, Chengdu, tearing into urban areas and mountain villages.In Mianyang City alone near the epicenter, 3,629 people were dead and 18,645 were still buried in debris, Xinhua reported.

At least 4,800 people also remained buried in Mianzhu, 100km from the epicenter, Xinhua said, citing local authorities. in Gansu Province, a 40-car freight train derailed in the quake that included 13 gasoline tankers was still burning yesterday, Xinhua said.
In Chengdu, gasoline lines grew and people huddled by TVs in shops and hotels watching the news. Grocery stores shelves were almost empty and the fast food restaurant KFC had run out of food. In Turkey's devastating 1999 earthquake, building codes were excellent, but "fly by night builders" had erected buildings using "extremely poor" materials.
You can buy the building inspector, but you can't buy off the earthquake.