China earthquake death toll rises to 67,183

BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from China's May 12 earthquake increased by more than 2,100 to 67,183 as of midday Tuesday, according to the Information Office of the State Council.

A total of 361,822 people were injured and 20,790 others are missing in the 8.0-magnitude quake that struck the southwestern Sichuan Province on May 12.

More than 45.61 million people were affected and about 15 million have been relocated, according to the office.

As of 7 p.m. on Monday, the quake had left 66,674 dead and 350,133 injured in Sichuan alone. A total of 83,988 people had been rescued and more than 6.7 million had been relocated.

A total of 64,719 bodies had been buried in the province.

Hospitals have treated 84,810 injured, of whom 54,374 have been discharged, while 16,288 remain hospitalized and 6,363 have been transferred to other parts of the country for treatment.

Flood Threat Prompts Evacuations in Quake-Hit China

Audra Ang in Mianyang, China
Associated Press

May 27, 2008

Potentially catastrophic flooding prompted emergency evacuations in China's Sichuan Province on Tuesday, even as aftershocks continued to batter the region and the threat of disease loomed for millions of refugees.

About 80,000 people were evacuated downstream of Tangjiashan, an unstable earthquake-created dam that is threatening to collapse.

The lake, near the town of Beichuan, is the largest of some 35 new bodies of water created by river-blocking rubble after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Sichuan May 12.

Some rising floodwaters have already swallowed villages, though only Tangjiashan posed a risk of another big catastrophe.

Hundreds of troops were working around the clock to dig a channel that would divert the rising waters before they breach the top of the rubble wall.

Officials fear the loose soil and debris wall could crumble easily if the water starts cascading over the top, sending a torrent flooding down into the valley below.

Tangjiashan now holds 34 billion gallons (130 billion liters) of water and was rising by more than three feet (a meter) every 24 hours, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

China scrambles to help homeless

by Staff Writers
Mianzhu, China (AFP) May 21, 2008
China scrambled on Wednesday to provide shelter and prevent disease among five million people made homeless by last week's earthquake, as the number of dead and missing climbed above 74,000.

With hope virtually extinguished of finding more survivors amid the rubble of the devastated towns and villages across mountainous Sichuan province, soldiers and relief workers focused on the desperate plight of those displaced.

Nine days after the 8.0-magnitude quake, the government said the confirmed number of people killed had risen to 41,353. But with another 32,666 confirmed still missing, the death toll is likely to soar.

China quake toll 'to top 50,000'

More than 50,000 people may have died in the earthquake that devastated parts of China on Monday, state media say.

The warning came after the government confirmed the death toll had risen to 19,500, as rescue efforts continue to search for thousands still trapped.

About 10 million people across Sichuan province have been directly affected by the 7.9 quake, Chinese media said.

Tens of thousands dead or missing in China quake

by Staff Writers
Dujiangyan, China (AFP) May 13, 2008
China's biggest earthquake for a generation left tens of thousands dead, missing or buried under the rubble of crushed communities Tuesday, plunging the nation into an all-out aid effort.

Troops and rescue teams struggled by air, land and water to reach areas of southwestern China stricken by the huge quake that demolished schools, homes and factories.

Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake in Sichuan province has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to official tolls, but the figure is expected to rise dramatically with at least 10,000 people reported buried in Mianzhu city alone.

Television pictures showed shattered buildings, roads split in two, rubble littering streets and survivors fighting to free themselves from the debris, even as aftershocks continued to pummel the region.

China mobilised its 2.3 million-strong armed forces to lead the search and rescue effort, but attempts to reach the worst-hit areas were badly disrupted by torrential rain and the sheer scale of the damage.

"The situation is worse than we previously estimated," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at disaster relief headquarters in the Sichuan city of Dujiangyan, "and we need more people here to help."