May

13

China quake death toll rises to about 10,000

Filed Under Natural Disasters | Posted By Jennifer Sullivan |

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12china3-600.jpgNearly 10,000 people were killed by the earthquake that hammered southwest China, officials said on Tuesday, as rescuers struggled to reach the worst-hit areas where many more may have died.

The toll from China`s worst earthquake in three decades appeared sure to rise as troops struggled on foot to reach the epicenter, Sichuan province`s Wenchuan, a hilly county about 100 km (62 miles) from the provincial capital Chengdu.The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan’s provincial capital of Chengdu. Striking in midafternoon, it emptied office buildings across the country in Beijing and could be felt as far away as Vietnam.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who rushed to Sichuan, ordered roads to Wenchuan, completely cut off by Monday`s 7.9 magnitude quake, to be opened by midday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.But rain and thick clouds meant that military helicopters dispatched to the area could not yet land, and if the weather remained overcast soldiers would try to parachute in.

China`s benchmark stock index opened down more than 3 percent after the quake, which forced the suspension of trading in the shares of 66 companies, but quickly recovered some ground, trading down 0.4 percent at 10:06 pm EDT.

China`s Communist Party leadership announced that coping with the devastating quake and ensuring that it did not threaten social stability were now the government`s priorities.

“Time is life,” said an official announcement from the Communist Party standing committee. “Make fighting the earthquake and rescue work the current top task.”

UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressing deep sadness over the devastating earthquake that has claimed 8,533 lives in China so far said on Monday that the world stands ready to support the Communist nation in its hour of need.



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