China Quake Death Toll Nearly 10,000

UPDATE # 1 – China Quake

TOWNSHIPS COLLAPSE

Most farmers’ homes in two townships have collapsed and there is no word from the three townships nearest the epicenter, which have a population of 24,000. (Source)

Local residents search for their belongings in the debris of a collapsed house after an earthquake in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province May 12, 2008, in this picture distributed by China’s official Xinhua News Agency. REUTERS/Xinhua/Chen Xie (Caption: Reuters)

Video: Powerful quake strikes China

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China Quake Kills 9,000

A Shrinking World Series:

Magnitude 7.9 Earthquake Strikes EASTERN SICHUAN, CHINA

Date and Time: Monday, May 12, 2008 at 06:28:00 UTC [Monday, May 12, 2008 at 02:28:00 PM at epicenter
Location: 31.099°N, 103.279°E

Depth: 10 km
Distances: 90 km WNW of Chengdu, Sichuan; 145 km WSW of Mianyang, Sichuan; 360 km WNW of Chongqing, Chongqing; 1545 km SW of BEIJING, Beijing, China
Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 5.8 km

Cars are buried in the debris of collapsed buildings in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, after an earthquake occurred May 12, 2008, in this picture distributed by China’s official Xinhua News Agency. REUTERS/Xinhua/Liu Hai (Caption: Reuters)

Striking in the middle of the school day, the 7.9 magnitude earthquake demolished eight schools. Several factories, chemical plants, high-rise buildings and at least one hospital were also destroyed, trapping hundreds of people.

About 7,000 of the deaths are believed to have occurred in Sichuan’s Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County (population of 161,000), where more than 80 percent of the buildings were razed. About one in 10 people in Beichuan are believed to have died or injured.

Video: Powerful quake strikes China

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Chaitén Volcano: No End Seen to Second Massive Eruption

A Shrinking World Series:

Update #1 – Millions of tons of volcanic ash continue to rain down on Patagonia

Ten days after the Chilean volcano erupted for the first time in thousands of years, volcanic ash continues to rain down in Patagonia.

An eruption on the morning of May 2, 2008 forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 people from the town of Chaitén nearby (10 kilometers distant from the volcano) and caused the death of an elderly woman. The eruption continued through to May 4. Towns such as Futaleufú were affected and water supplies were contaminated. The town of Chaitén and Futaleufú were completely evacuated on the morning of May 6, 2008, due to a massive new eruption, with pyroclastic flows and possible emerging of lava. (Source)

The scientists have expressed grave concerns about the potential long-term environmental damage and the harm to the health of people and animals in the area.

“It has spoiled lakes, rivers and lagoons, coated plants in a dense layer of gray, and altered the sensitive habitat of animals now struggling to survive. Satellite images show a white stripe smeared across the southern part of South America.” Reuters said.

A bicycle covered in volcanic ash in Futaleufu town, about 1450 km south of Santiago May 11, 2008. Chaiten volcano began erupting May 2, 2008. (Photo: REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.

“I am tremendously worried because this is an environmental, social and ecological disaster,” said Alejandro Beletzky, an environmental scientist in Argentina.

“The presence of volcanic ash in the region, which falls constantly, is very risky for humans, plants and animals,” he said near Esquel, about 2,000km southwest of Buenos Aires. (Source)

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Bleak Future Awaits the “Lucky” Survivors

Myanmar: Nearly 2 million struggling to survive Nargis aftermath

Thousands of the survivors of Cyclone Nargis face a bleak future, starvation and death, as they abandon what was once their villages in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta in search of water, food and medicine.

According to the U.N. humanitarian agency between 1.2 million and 1.9 million are struggling to survive eight days after the storm struck their impoverished country.

Villagers display a sign saying ‘Help Us’ on a road near Kundangon May 11, 2008. Even if they manage to find food and shelter, the 1.5 million destitute survivors of Myanmar’s Cyclone Nargis still face a major risk from infected wounds, chronic diarrhoea and malaria or dengue. (REUTERS/Stringer. Caption: Reuters) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.

The death toll could range from 63,290 to 101,682, with 220,000 people reported as missing, the report said, while “acute environmental issues” threaten the health and lives of the survivors. (Source)

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• Update #1- Myanmar Cyclone Death Nearly 4,000
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