Earthquake in Sichuan
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck western China two hours ago, sending tremors felt across the country and in Thailand and Vietnam. Here in Kunming, I felt...nothing. I only found out when a friend working in an office building downtown called to say that she had been evacuated, but that no damage had occurred.
The quake was epicentered in rural Sichuan province, about ninety miles from the provincial capital of Chengdu. John, a Chengdu resident who blogs at Green Bamboo, hasn't updated his blog yet.
The earthquake is now the lead story in Xinhua, but few details have emerged as to the extent of the damage or number of victims. Fortunately, the quake's epicenter appears to be in a rural area with light population density so one hopes that will limit the number of injured and dead.
Earthquakes are endemic to southwest China. In 1996, a major quake in northern Yunnan destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings in historic Lijiang, killing 200 people.
China's most devastating recent earthquake occurred in 1976, a tumultuous year in Chinese history in which both Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong died. Centered in Tangshan, Hebei Province and registering 7.8 on the Richter scale, the quake killed more than a quarter of a million people, an estimate some say is vastly understated.
According to this Wikipedia page, the deadliest earthquake in Chinese history occurred in 16th century Shaanxi Province, killing close to a million.
Being a native of California, I've been through my share of earthquakes, most notably the big Loma Prieta one that rocked the Bay Area in 1989. One would think that I'd have been attuned to today's, but nope- felt nothing. My cat didn't even stir leading me to believe that my building is rock-solid- a comforting thought.
UPDATE: Well, our hope for a limited number of victims has been vanquished- current estimates say that at least 10,000 people have lost their lives in the quake. Passport writes that the earthquake will test Beijing's crisis management and transparency, and I would say that thus far the authorities have responded about as well as possible in a difficult situation.
May 12th, 2008 - 17:39
I’ve posted an entry since you wrote this one. I can’t add anything that isn’t already known. Chengdu itself seems to have survived relatively unscathed, but plasterers may find they have lots of work.
May 13th, 2008 - 06:55
And apparently we had our own little tremor up here, too. I’m thinking those of us who grew up with earthquakes are going to be less likely to notice.
Latest reports say the death toll is pushing 10,000, so even if it is mostly rural areas affected, it’s clearly done some pretty nasty damage.