Death toll in China earthquake up to nearly 9,000

[FourScore]

Source: AP

One of the worst earthquakes in decades struck central China on Monday, killing nearly 9,000 people, trapping about 900 students under the rubble of their school and causing a toxic chemical leak, state media reported.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated a hilly region of small cities and towns in Sichuan and nearby provinces. The official Xinhua News Agency said 8,533 people died in Sichuan alone and dozens of other deaths were reported in surrounding areas.

Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan county in Sichuan province after the quake, raising fears the overall death toll could increase sharply.

State media said a chemical plant in Shifang city had cratered, burying hundreds of people and spilling more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia from the site...



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake

[BootinUp]

1. Prayers for the victms.

Sounds really bad.

[aquart]

2. China's been putting up a lot of buildings really fast...

How populous was that area? How much new construction?

If the first report is 9,000, I expect it to get a lot worse.

[Doctor Cynic]

3. The epicentre is on the edge of the TIbetan plateau

And just on the fringe of the Sichuan Basin, a flat plain of 100+ million people.

If there was a lot of liquefaction in this densely populated and very poor area, then the death toll will go up a lot.

Fortunately the Chinese government will actually help people, unlike the Burmese junta.

[Posteritatis]

4. Apparently Jiabao's running around the site directing rescue efforts in person

Obviously a lot of that is likely to be photo-opping, but even still, it's certainly more upper-echelon attention than certain other flattened cities I can think of got within a day...