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(Image source: Xinhua)
BY ZACH TOOMBS
An earthquake in China’s southwest Sichuan province has left more than 100 confirmed
dead – and 20 times that number injured.
The casualty count is still rising, but Chinese state television reported 102 dead near the
city of Ya’an — and at least 2,200 injured. Al Jazeera says the 6.6 magnitude quake hit
just after 8 a.m. local time Saturday.
Sichuan borders the Tibetan plateau, far removed from China’s eastern hub. Sky News’ Mark
Stone reports shoddy construction in the region won’t help matters.
“Some of these buildings are not well-made. They’re not well-maintained. They collapse,
some of them, like a house of cards when these sorts of earthquakes happen. And I think there
will be many, many people trapped. Some will survive. Many won’t.”
Saturday’s loss will be tragic, but it’s still only a fraction of the death and destruction
caused by a 2008 earthquake in the same province. That disaster resulted in 90,000 dead or still
reported missing. (Via BBC)
State news agencies say Li Keqiang, the nation’s newly-chosen premier, will visit Ya’an along
with 6,000 troops tasked with rescue operations. This marks the first major natural disaster
the nation’s new government has dealt with. (Via Press TV)
Some reports, including from European press in China, pegged Saturday’s death toll at
about 120. That number will likely rise Sunday morning in China, when rescue workers get
a clearer picture of the damage.