2. Sichuan Earthquake
The 2008 was a deadly earthquake
that measured at 8.0 Ms and 7.9
Mw, and occurred at 02:28 PM China
Standard Time at epicenter in
Sichuan province of China, killing an
estimated 68,000 people.
3. Impact of the earthquake
At least 69,195 people killed, 374,177
injured and 18,392 missing and presumed
dead in the Chengdu-Lixian-Guangyuan
area. More than 45.5 million people in 10
provinces and regions were affected. At
least 15 million people were evacuated
from their homes and more than 5 million
were left homeless.
4. Impact of the earthquake
An estimated 5.36 million buildings
collapsed and more than 21 million
buildings were damaged in Sichuan and in
parts of
Chongqing, Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi and
Yunnan. The total economic loss was
estimated at 86 billion US dollars
5. Rescue Efforts
At the start of rescue operations on May
12, 20 helicopters were deployed for the
delivery of food, water, and emergency
aid, and also the evacuation of the injured
and reconnaissance of quake-stricken
areas. By 17:37 CST on May 13, a total of
over 15,600 troops and militia reservists
from the Chengdu Military Region had
joined the rescue force in the heavily
affected areas.
6. Domestic Aid
By May 14, the Ministry of Civil Affairs
stated that $1.5 billion US had been
donated by the Chinese public. Houston
Rockets center Yao Ming, one of the
country's most popular sports icons, gave
$214,000 and $71,000 to the Red Cross
Society of China. The association has also
collected a total of $26 million in donations
so far. Other multinational firms located in
China have also announced large amounts
of donations.
7. Foreign aid
Because of the magnitude of the
quake, and the media attention on
China, foreign nations and organizations
immediately responded to the disaster by
offering condolences and assistance. On
May 14, UNICEF reported that China
formally requested the support of the
international community to respond to the
needs of affected families