A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province in China, killing at least 10,000 people. The hardest hit area was Beichuan county where 80% of buildings were destroyed, leaving between 3,000 and 5,000 dead. Hundreds were also buried in collapsed schools and chemical plants. Rescue efforts were hampered by blocked roads and rainy weather. The death toll was expected to rise as officials struggled to access remote mountainous areas near the epicenter. This was China's worst earthquake since 1976 and triggered a massive relief response.

1. 3rd April: E-learning
3E/NA Elective Geography
Topic: Plate Tectonics
Case Study: 2008 Sichuan Earthquake
News Article Title: Thousands dead in Chinese quake
Source: BBC News (available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-
pacific/7396400.stm#map)
Date: 12 May 2008
A powerful earthquake has killed at least 10,000 people in China's south-
western Sichuan province, up to 5,000 of them in just one county.
Many more have been killed and injured in other parts of the country after the 7.8-
magnitude quake struck at 1428 local time (0628 GMT).
At least 50 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a school where an
estimated 900 students were buried.
President Hu Jintao has urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims.
Search teams were sent to the area but struggled to get through because routes
were blocked.
The BBC's Michael Bristow, in nearby Chongqing, said torrential rains had also
prevented helicopters gaining access.
With communication links down, he says there is still no real indication of the death
toll at the epicentre, in Wenchuan county, about 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu,
Sichuan's provincial capital.
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2. 'Major disaster'
One of the worst-hit areas appears to be Beichuan county, part of the Mianyang city
municipal area, about 50km from the epicentre.
Some 80% of buildings there were reported to have been destroyed, leaving
between 3,000 and 5,000 people dead and up to 10,000 injured.
Meanwhile hundreds of people were reported to have been buried in two collapsed
chemical plants in Shifang in Sichuan, and at least five other schools were reported
to be in ruins.
More than 150 people were killed in the other provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, and
in Chongqing municipality, Xinhua said.
The death toll could turn out to be much higher once the damage in Wenchuan
county - the epicentre - is assessed, says BBC China analyst Shirong Chen.
The area is very rugged, full of mountains and valleys and a number of roads are
connected with bridges from one mountain top to the next, he says.
A top official from the region, Wang Bin, appealed for outside help quickly.
"We are in urgent need of tents, food, medicine and satellite communications
equipment through air drop," he said.
"We also need medical workers to save the injured people here."
There were fears that China's programme to save the endangered giant panda may
have been affected.
Wenchuan county is home to the Wolong Nature Reserve, the country's leading
research and breeding base for pandas - but the centre could not be reached by
phone.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who flew to Chengdu immediately, said China needed
"calm, confidence, courage and strong leadership".
"We will definitely overcome this major disaster," he promised.
US President George W Bush expressed condolences to victims' families, while
Japan offered to send aid.
The Chinese Red Cross has sent hundreds of tents and thousands of blankets to the
afflicted area.
Cries for help
There were harrowing reports from the scene of a school collapse in Dujiangyan city
- just south-east of the epicentre - where 900 students were buried and 50 dead.
Teenagers buried beneath the rubble of the three-storey Juyuan Middle School
building were struggling to break free, while others were crying out for help, state
news agency Xinhua reported.
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3. Parents were watching as cranes excavated the site. Villagers rushed to help with
the rescue.
Two girls said they escaped because they had "run faster than others".
Dozens of aftershocks have been reported since the quake, which was felt in Beijing,
1,545km (960 miles) away, and the Thai capital Bangkok, 1,800km (1,200 miles)
away.
The earthquake was China's worst since 242,000 people were killed in 1976 by the
Tangshan quake.
Sichuan province is the most populated part of China - home to 87 million people.
The provincial capital Chengdu, which has a population of more than 10 million
people, was comparatively lightly damaged - though Xinhua cited an official with the
local seismological bureau saying 45 people were killed there.
Some 5,000 troops have been sent to help with relief work.
The BBC's Quentin Somerville says this is probably the most significant natural
disaster to hit China in recent memory, but that the Chinese army has a good record
of mobilising and getting people to safety.
He also says it is one of the most open and speedy responses to an emergency he
has ever seen from Chinese state media.
The quake was felt as far away as Beijing, he says, meaning millions of people will
feel connected to the disaster and will be watching TV screens closely to see how
the government responds.
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