2008 Sichuan earthquake  | | Date | May 12, 2008 | | Magnitude | 8.0 Ms[1] / 7.9 Mw[2] | | Depth: | 19 kilometres (12 mi) | | Epicenter location: | 31°01′16″N 103°22′01″E / 31.021, 103.367 (Sichuan earthquake) (Wenchuan County in Sichuan province) | Countries/
regions affected |
 China | | Tsunami: | None | | Aftershocks: | so far 94 strong aftershocks (see list)
over 7,000 weak aftershocks[3] is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...
The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Thomas C. Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ...
Sichuan (Chinese: 四川; pinyin: Sìchuān; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; non-standard transliteration: Szechwan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ...
| | Casualties: | 65,080 (dead, 20th deadliest earthquake)
360,058 (injured)
23,150 (missing)
(as of May 26, 2008 12:00 CST)[4] | The 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Chinese: 四川大地震), or Great Sichuan Earthquake which measured at 8.0 Ms[5] and 8.3 Mw[6] according to the China Seismological Bureau, and 7.9 Mw according to USGS, occurred at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC) on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan province of China. It was also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震), after the earthquake's epicenter in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. The epicenter was 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, with a depth of 19 kilometres (12 mi).[2] The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km away), where office buildings swayed with the tremor.[7] The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries. For man-made disasters see: List of wars and disasters by death toll A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease. ...
The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Thomas C. Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ...
The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Thomas C. Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ...
InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ...
Certain regions of eastern Asia, including Greater China, observe a time zone eight hours ahead of UTC (UTC+8), and currently do not observe daylight saving time. ...
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is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the Chinese province. ...
For other uses, see Epicenter (disambiguation). ...
A modern compass card. ...
Not to be confused with Chengde. ...
Peking redirects here. ...
For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ...
Official figures (as of May 26, 12:00 CST) state that 65,080 are confirmed dead, including 64,571 in Sichuan province, and 360,058 injured, with 23,150 listed as missing.[4] The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless,[8] though the number could be as high as 11 million.[9] It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people. Many buildings were flattened into rubble when the earthquake hit. ...
On May 25, a major aftershock of 6.0 Mw hit northeast of the original earthquake's epicenter, in Qingchuan County, causing 8 deaths, 927 injuries, and the collapse of thousands of buildings.[10] is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Thomas C. Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ...
Earthquake details Most deaths were caused by the aftershocks and collapsed buildings. - See also: List of 2008 Sichuan earthquake aftershocks
 A USGS map showing dozens of aftershocks. The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0 Ms according to the State Seismological Bureau of China and 7.9 Mw according to the United States Geological Survey.[1][2] The epicenter was in Wenchuan County, Ngawa Prefecture, 80 km west/northwest of Chengdu, with its main tremor occurring at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC), on Monday 12 May 2008. InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ...
The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Thomas C. Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ...
InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ...
The Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan: རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་ཆ་བ༹ང་རིགས་རང་སà¾à¾±à½¼à½„་à½à½´à½£à¼‹, Wylie transliteration: rnga ba bod rigs dang chang rigs rang skyong khul; Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan, whose capital is Barkam. ...
Not to be confused with Chengde. ...
is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...
Fifty-two major aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4.4 to 6.0, were recorded within 72 hours of the main tremor.[11] Preliminary rupture models of the earthquake indicated displacement of up to 9 meters along a fault approximately 240 km long by 20 km deep.[12] The earthquake generated deformations of the surface greater than 3 meters[13] and increased the stress (and probability of occurrence of future events) at the northeastern and southwestern ends of the fault.[13] On May 20, USGS seismologist Tom Parsons warned that there is "high risk" of a major M>7 aftershock over the next weeks or months. [14]
Japanese seismologist Yuji Yagi said that the earthquake occurred in two stages: "The 155-mile Longmenshan Fault tore in two sections, the first one ripping about seven yards, followed by a second one that sheared four yards."[15] Yagi's data also showed that the earthquake lasted about two minutes and released 30 times the energy of the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 in Japan, which killed over 6,000 people. He pointed out that the shallowness of the epicenter and the density of population greatly increased the severity of the earthquake. Teruyuki Kato, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo, said that the seismic waves of the quake traveled a long distance without losing their power because of the firmness of the terrain in central China. According to reports from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, the earthquake tremors lasted for "about two or three minutes".[16] Damage at Minatogawa, Kobe Damage at Sannomiya, Kobe The Great Hanshin Earthquake, or Kobe earthquake as it is more commonly known overseas, was an earthquake in Japan which occurred on Tuesday January 17, 1995 at 5:46 a. ...
Todai redirects here. ...
Not to be confused with Chengde. ...
Extent of tremors Places ordered by distance from epicenter (or time of propagation) : -
China (mainland): All regions except Xinjiang, Jilin and Heilongjiang were affected by the quake.[17]
-
 Hong Kong: Tremors were felt approximately three minutes after the quake, continuing for about half a minute. This was also the farthest distance from the epicentre felt in Hong Kong's record.[18][19][20][21] -
 Macau: Tremors were felt approximately three minutes after the quake.[22] -
 Vietnam: Tremors were felt approximately five minutes after the earthquake in Northern parts of Vietnam.[23][24] -
 Thailand: In parts of Thailand tremors were felt six minutes after the quake. Office buildings in Bangkok swayed for the next several minutes.[25] -
 Taiwan: It took about eight minutes for the quake to reach Taiwan, then the tremors continued for one to two minutes; no damage or injuries were reported.[26] -
 Mongolia: Tremors were felt approximately eight minutes after the earthquake in parts of Mongolia.[20] -
 Bangladesh: Tremors were felt eight and a half minutes after the quake in all parts of Bangladesh.[20] -
 Nepal: Tremors were felt approximately eight and a half minutes after the quake.[20] -
 India: Tremors were felt approximately nine minutes after the earthquake in parts of India.[20] -
 Pakistan: In parts of Northern Pakistan tremors were felt ten minutes after the quake.[20] -
 Russia: Tremors were felt in Tuva, no casualties reported.[20] Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ...
For the county in Shanxi province, see Xinjiang County. ...
For the city, see Jilin City. ...
Heilongjiang (Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江çœ; Traditional Chinese: 黑é¾æ±Ÿçœ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Postal System Pinyin: Heilungkiang) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Macau. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Vietnam. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Mongolia. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Bangladesh. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Nepal. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ...
Tyva Republic IPA: (Russian: IPA: ; Tuvan: ), or Tuva (), is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ...
Tectonics The extent of the earthquake and after shock-effected areas lies north-east, along the Longmen Shan fault. USGS National Earthquake Information According to the United States Geological Survey:[27] InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ...
The earthquake occurred as the result of motion on a northeast striking reverse fault or thrust fault on the northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake’s epicenter and focal-mechanism are consistent with it having occurred as the result of movement on the Longmenshan fault or a tectonically related fault. The earthquake reflects tectonic stresses resulting from the convergence of crustal material slowly moving from the high Tibetan Plateau, to the west, against strong crust underlying the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China. A thrust fault is a particular type of fault, or break in the fabric of the Earths crust with resulting movement of each side against the other, in which a lower stratigraphic position is pushed up and over another. ...
The Sichuan Basin is a basin in middle eastern China. ...
Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Sichuan Province of China lie on the Tibetan Plateau. ...
On a continental scale, the seismicity of central and eastern Asia is a result of northward convergence of the Indian Plate against the Eurasian Plate with a velocity of about 50 mm/y. The convergence of the two plates is broadly accommodated by the uplift of the Asian highlands and by the motion of crustal material to the east away from the uplifted Tibetan Plateau. The northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has previously experienced destructive earthquakes. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake of August 25, 1933 killed more than 9,300 people. The Indian plate, shown in red Due to continental drift, the India Plate split from Madagascar and collided with the Eurasian Plate resulting in the formation of the Himalayas. ...
The Eurasian plate, shown in green The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate covering Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia) except that it does not cover the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent, and the area east of the Verkhoyansk Range in East Siberia. ...
is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
According to the British Geological Survey:[28] The British Geological Survey is a publicly-funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. ...
The earthquake occurred 92 km northwest of the city of Chengdu in eastern Sichuan province and over 1500 km from Beijing, where it was also strongly felt. Earthquakes of this size have the potential to cause extensive damage and loss of life. The epicentre was in the mountains of the Eastern Margin of Qing-Tibet Plateau at the northwest margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake occurred as a result of motion on a northeast striking thrust fault that runs along the margin of the basin. The seismicity of central and eastern Asia is caused by the northward movement of the India plate at a rate of 5cm/year and its collision with Eurasia, resulting in the uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau and associated earthquake activity. This deformation also results in the extrusion of crustal material from the high Tibetan Plateau in the west towards the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China. China frequently suffers large and deadly earthquakes. In August 1933, the magnitude 7.5 Diexi earthquake, about 90 km northeast of today's earthquake, destroyed the town of Diexi and surrounding villages, and caused many landslides, some of which dammed the rivers.
Immediate aftermath  The outside of a warehouse in disarray following the earthquake. Office buildings in Shanghai's financial district, including the Jin Mao Tower and the Hong Kong New World Tower, were evacuated.[29] Phone calls to emergency response numbers in Chengdu were repeatedly busy.[30] A receptionist at the Tibet Hotel in Chengdu said things were "calm" after the hotel had evacuated its guests.[31] Meanwhile, workers at a Ford plant in Sichuan were evacuated for about 10 minutes.[32] The Chengdu airport was shut down, and the control tower and regional radar control evacuated. One SilkAir flight was diverted and landed in nearby Kunming as a result.[33] Cathay Pacific delayed both legs of its quadruple daily Hong Kong to London route due to this disruption in air traffic services. Chengdu airport reopened later on the evening of May 12, offering limited service as the airport began to be used as a staging area for relief operations.[34] For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ...
Jin Mao Building as seen from the Bund The Jin Mao Building is a high-rise building in the Pudong district of Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. ...
Hong Kong New World Tower is a 61 floor tower in the Pudong area of Shanghai and was completed in 2002. ...
“Ford†redirects here. ...
SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited is an airline based in Singapore. ...
Location of Kunming Prefecture (yellow) Kunming (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kun-ming) is the capital city of Yunnan province, China. ...
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (traditional Chinese: ; SEHK: 0293, OTCBB: CPCAY) is the largest airline and flag carrier of Hong Kong. ...
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (IATA: (CTU, ICAO: ZUUU) Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is the major airport in Chengdu, China. ...
Reporters in Chengdu said they saw cracks on walls of some residential buildings in the downtown areas, but no building collapsed.[35] Many Beijing office towers were evacuated, including the building housing the media offices for the organizers of the 2008 Summer Olympics. None of the Olympic venues were damaged.[23] Meanwhile, a cargo train carrying 13 petrol tanks derailed in Huixian County, Gansu Province, and caught on fire after the rail was distorted.[36] Not to be confused with Chengde. ...
The 2008 Summer Olympics (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony commencing at 08:08:08 pm CST (12:08:08 UTC) at the Beijing National Stadium in...
Gasoline, as it is known in North America, or petrol, in many Commonwealth countries (sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ...
This article or section should include material from Gansu, China Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; pinyin: Gānsù; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, or modified as Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
All of the highways into Wenchuan, and others throughout Sichuan province, were damaged, resulting in delayed arrival of the rescue troops.[37][38] In Beichuan county, 80% of the buildings collapsed according to Xinhua News.[39] In the city of Shifang, the collapse of two chemical plants led to leakage of some 80 tons of liquid ammonia, with hundreds of people reported buried.[40] In the city of Dujiangyan, south-east of the epicentre, a whole school collapsed with 900 students buried and 50 dead. The Juyuan middle school, where many teenagers were buried, is being excavated by civilians and cranes.[41] Dujiangyan is home of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, an ancient water diversion project which is still in use and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project's famous Fish Mouth was cracked but not severely damaged otherwise.[42] Sichuan (Chinese: 四川; pinyin: Sìchuān; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; non-standard transliteration: Szechwan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ...
The Xinhua News Agency (新华社, pinyin: Xīnhuá-shè), or NCNA (New China News Agency), is the official press agency of the government of the Peoples Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC with a rank of class A among the...
For other uses, see Ammonia (disambiguation). ...
Du Jiang Yan (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is an irrigation infastucture built in 256 BC during the Warring States Period of China by the Kingdom of Qin. ...
Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...
 A bank building in Beichuan after the earthquake. A girl was found in the ruins 102 hours (4 days, 6 hours) after the earthquake. [43] Both the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange suspended trading of companies based in southwestern China. Copper rose over speculations that production in southwestern China may be affected,[44] and oil prices dropped over speculations that demand from China will fall.[45] The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a Chinese stock exchange based in the city of Shanghai, with a market capitalization of nearly US$2. ...
Shenzhen Stock Exchange building Shenzhen Stock Exchange building Shenzhen Stock Exchange (深圳交易所) is one of the Peoples Republic of Chinas three stock exchanges. ...
For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ...
Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ...
China Mobile had more than 2,300 base stations suspended due to power disruption or severe telecommunication traffic congestion. Half of the wireless communications were lost in the Sichuan province. China Unicom's service in Wenchuan and four nearby counties was cut off, with more than 700 towers suspended.[46][47][48] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Base stations are low-power multi-channel two-way radios which are in a fixed location. ...
China Unicom (ä¸å›½è”通), full name China United Telecommunications Corporation (ä¸å›½è”åˆé€šä¿¡æœ‰é™å…¬å¸) SEHK: 0762 NYSE: CHU, is a state-owned telecommunication operator in the Peoples Republic of China. ...
 A single door frame bearing a portrait of Chairman Mao remained standing in a pile of debris. Initially, officials were unable to contact the Wolong National Nature Reserve, home to around 280 giant pandas.[49] However, China’s Foreign Ministry later said that a group of 31 British tourists visiting the Wolong panda reserve in the quake-hit area have returned safe and uninjured to the provincial capital. Nonetheless, the well-being of an even greater number of pandas in the neighbouring panda reserves remains unknown at this point in time. As of May 20, two pandas at the reserve were injured, while search continues for another two adult pandas that went missing after the quake.[50] A group of 26 Malaysian tourists including a 90-year-old woman who initially were missing after the earthquake have been found alive. None of the Malaysian tourists were injured. They are about four kilometres outside Maoxian.[51] Mao redirects here. ...
Wolong National Nature Reserve is located in Sichuan Province, Peoples Republic of China. ...
The Zipingpu (紫坪铺水库) Hydropower Plant located 20 km east of the epicenter has been destroyed. The dam has severe cracks and "the plant and associated buildings have collapsed, and some are partly sunk."[52]. The Tulong reservoir upstream is in danger of collapse. About 2,000 troops have been allocated to Zipingpu, trying to release the pressure through spillway. In total, 391 dams, most of them small, were reported damaged by the quake.[53] Spillway of Llyn Brianne dam in Wales A Spillway is a structure used to provide for the controlled release of flood flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that has been dammed. ...
As of 18 May 2008, 21 lakes had formed in the Sichuan basin due to earthquake debris blocking and damming rivers. Entire villages had to be evacuated because of the resultant flooding.[54] These so-called "quake lakes" also pose additional hazards as the natural dams forming them are breeched, causing secondary flooding. On May 25th, 1600 soldiers were sent to one of the lakes in Tangjiashan in order to blast away the landslide debris that caused it.[55]
China's Olympic Games organisers said that they would scale down the route of the torch through the country, and there was a minute of silence when the next leg started in the south-eastern city of Ruijin on the Wednesday after the quake.[56] Ruijin (Chinese: (瑞金,pinyin: rui jin) is a small city in the mountains bordering Fujian Province in south-eastern Jiangxi. ...
Casualties According to Chinese state officials, the quake caused 65,080 known deaths including 64,571 in Sichuan province; 23,150 people were listed as missing, and 360,058 injured, but these figures may increase as more reports come in.[4] This estimate includes 158 earthquake relief workers who had been killed in landslides as they tried to repair roads.[61][62] This article is about the Chinese province. ...
Mianyang (Chinese: 绵阳; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Mian-yang) is a prefecture-level city and the second largest city in Sichuan Province, in south central China, with a population of 5. ...
The Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan: རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་ཆ་བ༹ང་རིགས་རང་སà¾à¾±à½¼à½„་à½à½´à½£à¼‹, Wylie transliteration: rnga ba bod rigs dang chang rigs rang skyong khul; Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan, whose capital is Barkam. ...
Deyang (宜宾) is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan province, China. ...
Guangyuan (Simplified Chinese: 广元; Traditional Chinese: 廣元; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kuang-yüan) is a prefecture-level city in the Sichuan Province with a population of three million. ...
Not to be confused with Chengde. ...
Nanchong (Chinese: å—å……; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Nan-chung ) is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China and lies about 2 hours North-East by car from Sichuans capital city, Chengdu via the Chengnan expressway. ...
Yaan (雅安) is a prefecture-level city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the western part of Sichuan province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Suining (é‚å®) is a prefecture-level city within mountainuous Sichuan province in the South of China. ...
Ziyang (Simplified Chinese: 资阳; Traditional Chinese: 資陽; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Tzu-yang) prefecture-level city in the Sichuan Province, in south central China, with more than 100,000 inhabitants. ...
Meishan (formerly Meizhou) is a prefecture-level city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Sichuan province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Bazhong (Chinese: å·´ä¸; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: pa-chung) is a prefecture-level city in north-eastern Sichuan province. ...
Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region (Chinese: 甘åœè—æ—自治州; pinyin: GÄnzÄ« Zà ngzú ZìzhìzhÅu, Tibetan - དཀར་མཛེས་བོད་རིགས་རང་སà¾à¾±à½¼à½„་à½à½´à½£à¼‹ / Dkar-mdzes bod-rigs rang-skyong khul) is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan whose capital is Kangding County. ...
Leshan (Simplified Chinese: ä¹å±±; Traditional Chinese: 樂山; Pinyin: LèshÄn; Wade-Giles: Le-shan) is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Neijiang (Chinese: 内江; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Nei-chiang) is a prefecture-level city in the central Sichuan Province, in south central China, with a population of about 300,000. ...
Dazhou (Chinese: 达州; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: ta-chou) is a prefecture-level city in north-eastern Sichuan province. ...
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Region (simplified Chinese: 凉山å½æ—自治州 ; pinyin: LiángshÄn YÃzú ZìzhìzhÅu; Yi: ꆃêŽ/Niep Sha; in IPA: [nÉ›21Ê‚a33]) ) is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan whose capital is Xichang. ...
Location of Zigong City jurisdiction (yellow) within Sichuan Zigong (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Tzu-kung), ancient name Ziliujing and Gongjing, is a prefecture-level city and the third largest city in Sichuan Province, in southwest China. ...
Luzhou (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Lu-chou), most well-known for its Alcoholic Beverages, is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, Peoples Republic of China, with an urban population of 394,400 (2005). ...
Location of Guangan City jurisdiction (yellow) within Sichuan Guangan (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: kwang-an) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Sichuan province. ...
Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, or Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
(Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the...
Chongqing (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Chung-ching) is the largest and most populous of the Peoples Republic of Chinas four provincial-level municipalities, and the only one in the less densely populated western half of China. ...
Henan (Chinese: æ²³å—; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ...
(Simplified Chinese: 贵州; Traditional Chinese: è²´å·ž; pinyin: GùizhÅu; Wade-Giles: Kuei-chou; also spelled Kweichow) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. ...
Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hupeh) is a central province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Not to be confused with the unrelated provinces of Hainan, Henan, and Yunnan. ...
For the tea from this region, see Yunnan tea. ...
One rescue team reported only 2,300 survivors from Yingxiu, out of a total population of about 9,000.[63] 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed in Beichuan county, Sichuan province alone, 10,000 injured and 80% of the buildings were destroyed. 8 schools were toppled in Dujiangyan.[64] A 56-year-old Taiwanese tourist was killed in Dujiangyan during a rescue attempt on the Lingyanshan Ropeway, where due to the earthquake 11 Taiwanese tourists had been trapped inside cable cars since May 13.[65] A 4-year-old Taiwanese boy named 朱紹維 (Chu Shao-wei) was also killed in Mianzhu City when a house collapsed on him [66] and another Taiwanese was reported missing.[4] A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems. ...
Experts point out that the earthquake has hit an area that has been largely neglected and untouched by China's economic rise. Health care is poor in inland areas like Sichuan province, where the magnitude-7.9 quake struck, highlighting the widening gap between prosperous urban dwellers and struggling rural people.[67] Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang told reporters in Beijing on Thursday that the "public health care system in China is insufficient."[67] The Vice Minister of Health also suggested that the government would pick up the costs of care to earthquake victims, many of whom have little or no insurance: "The government should be responsible for providing medical treatment to them," he said.[67]
Property damage The earthquake left at least 5 million people without housing, although the number could be as high as 11 million.[68]
Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide reported official estimates of insurers' losses at US$1 billion from the earthquake; estimated total damages exceed US$20 billion. It values Chengdu, Sichuan Province’s capital city of 4.5 million people, at around US$115 billion, with only a small portion covered by insurance.[69] Catastrophe (Gk. ...
Not to be confused with Chengde. ...
 Rain was among some of the problems in the aftermath of the earthquake. Here, a group of onlookers examine a collapsed building in the rain. Reginald DesRoches, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Tech, pointed out that the massive damage of properties and houses in the earthquake area was because China did not get an adequate seismic design code until following the big Tangshan earthquake in 1976. DesRoches said: "If the buildings were older and built prior to that 1976 earthquake, chances are they weren't built for adequate earthquake forces."[70] Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is located in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. With over 16,000 students, Georgia Tech is one of four public research universities in the University System of Georgia. ...
Many buildings were flattened into rubble when the earthquake hit. ...
News report indicate that the poorer, rural villages were hardest hit. Swaminathan Krishnan, assistant professor of civil engineering and geophysics at the California Institute of Technology said: "the earthquake occurred in the rural part of China. Presumably, many of the buildings were just built; they were not designed, so to speak."[70] Swaminathan Krishnan further added: "There are very strong building codes in China, which take care of earthquake issues and seismic design issues. But many of these buildings presumably were quite old and probably were not built with any regulations overseeing them."[70] The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech)[1] is a private, coeducational research university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ...
Rescue efforts  Persistant rain, as well as rock slides and a layer of mud coating on the main roads, such as the one above, hinders rescue official's efforts to enter the target region. China's President Hu Jintao announced that the disaster response would be rapid.[71] Just 90 minutes after the earthquake, Premier Wen Jiabao, who has an academic background in geomechanics, flew to the earthquake area to oversee the rescue work.[72] The President of the Peoples Republic of China (Simplified Chinese: ä¸åŽäººæ°‘共和国主å¸; Pinyin: ZhÅnghuá RénmÃn Gònghéguó ZhÇ”xÃ, or abbreviated GuójiÄ ZhÇ”xà 国家主å¸) is the head of state of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Hu Hu Jintao (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born December 21, 1942) is currently the Paramount Leader of the Peoples Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the...
The Premier ( Chinese: 总理 pinyin: zŏnglĭ), sometimes referred to as the Prime Minister, is the Chairman of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China and head of Central Peoples Government. ...
Wen Jiabao (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Wen Chia-pao) (born September 1942) is the Premier of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Geomechanics is the study of the engineering behaviour of soil and rock. ...
On May 12, 2008, China's Health Ministry said that it had sent 10 emergency medical teams to Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province. On the same day, China's Chengdu Military Area Command dispatched 50,000 troops and armed police to help with disaster relief work in Wenchuan County.[73] However, due to the rough terrain and close proximity of the quake's epicenter, the soldiers found it very difficult to get help to the rural regions of the province.[74] is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...
The National Disaster Relief Commission initiated a "Level II emergency contingency plan", which covers the most serious class of natural disasters. The plan rose to Level I at 22:15 CST, May 12.[75]
An earthquake emergency relief team of 184 people (consisting of 12 people from the State Seismological Bureau, 150 from the Beijing Military Area Command, and 22 from the Armed Police General Hospital) left Beijing from Nanyuan Airport late May 12 in two military transport planes to travel to Wenchuan County.[76]
Many rescue teams, including that of the Taipei Fire Department from Taiwan, were reported ready to join the rescue effort in Sichuan as early as Wednesday. However, the Red Cross Society of China said that (on May 13) "it was inconvenient currently due to the traffic problem to the hardest hit areas closest to the epicenter."[77] The Red Cross Society of China also stated that the disaster areas need tents, medical supplies, drinking water and food; however it has recommended donating cash instead of other items, as it has not been possible to reach roads that were completely damaged or places that were blocked off by landslides.[78] Landslides continuously threatened the progress of a search and rescue group of 80 men, each carrying about 40 kg of relief supplies, from a motorized infantry brigade under commander Yang Wenyao, as they tried to reach the ethnically Tibetan village of Sier at a height of 4000 m above sea level in Pingwu county. The extreme terrain conditions precluded the use of helicopter evacuation, and over 300 of the Tibetan villagers were stranded in their demolished village for five days without food and water before the rescue group finally arrived to help the injured and stranded villagers down the mountain[79]. This article is about the city. ...
 Falling debris, such as the object that landed on this vehicle, hinders rescue worker's progress as they attempt to cross the mountain. Persistent heavy rain and landslides in Wenchuan County and the nearby area badly affected rescue efforts.[80][81] At the start of rescue operations on May 12, 20 helicopters were deployed for the delivery of food, water, and emergency aid, and also the evacuation of the injured and reconnaissance of quake-stricken areas. By 17:37 CST on the 13 May, a total of over 15,600 troops and militia reservists from the Chengdu Military Region have joined the rescue force in the heavily affected areas.[82][83] A commander reported from Yingxiu town, Wenchuan, that around 3,000 survivors were found, while the status of the other inhabitants (around 9,000) remains unclear.[84] The 1,300 rescuers reached the epicenter, and 300 pioneer troops reached the main town of Wenchuan at about 23:30 CST.[85] By 12:17 CST, 14 May 2008, communication in the major town of Wenchuan is partly revived.[86] On the afternoon of May 14, 100 paratroopers, along with relief supplies, parachuted into inaccessible Maoxian County, northeast of Wenchuan.[87] The Chengdu Military Region is a military administrative command located in the southwest of the Peoples Republic of China, covering Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and the Xizang/Tibet Autonomous Region. ...
 An elderly woman was rescued and placed on a stretcher after being trapped for over 50 hours. By May 15, China's Premiere Wen Jiabao ordered the deployment of an additional 90 helicopters, of which 60 were to be provided by the PLAAF, and 30 provided by the civil aviation industry, bringing the total of number of aircraft deployed in relief operations by the air force, army, and civil aviation to over 150, resulting in China's largest ever non-combat airlifting operation.[88] Flag of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force The Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is the aviation branch of the Peoples Liberation Army, the military of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Civil airliner - Air India Boeing 747-400 Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-Military aviation, both private and commercial. ...
The Chinese Government accepted the aid of the Tzu Chi Foundation from Taiwan late on May 13. Tzu Chi was the first force from outside the People's Republic of China to join the rescue effort.[89] China stated it would gratefully accept international help to cope with the quake.[90][56]
A direct chartered cargo flight was made by China Airlines from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport sending a sum of 100 tons of relief supplies donated by the Tzu Chi Foundation and the Red Cross Society of Taiwan to the affected areas. Approval from the PRC Government was sought, and the chartered flight departed Taipei at 17:00 CST, May 15 and arriving in Chengdu by 20:30 CST.[91][92] A rescue team from the ROC Red Cross is also scheduled to depart Taipei on a Mandarin Airlines direct chartered flight to Chengdu at 15:00 CST on May 16.[93] Not to be confused with Air China, the national airline of Peoples Republic of China. ...
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (IATA: TPE, ICAO: RCTP) (traditional Chinese: or ; simplified Chinese: ; Tongyong Pinyin: Táiwan Táoyuán Gúojì JichÇŽng, Pinyin: TáiwÄn Táoyuán Gúojì JÄ«chÇŽng), formerly Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongjhèng...
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (IATA: (CTU, ICAO: ZUUU) Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is the major airport in Chengdu, China. ...
Mandarin Airlines (è¯ä¿¡èˆªç©º; pinyin: Huáxìn HángkÅng) is a regional and domestic airline based in Taipei in Taiwan and is a subsidiary of China Airlines. ...
Francis Marcus of the International Federation of the Red Cross praised China's rescue effort as "swift and very efficient" in Beijing on Tuesday. But he added the scale of the disaster was such that "we can't expect that the government can do everything and handle every aspect of the needs".[90] The Economist noted that China reacted to the disaster "rapidly and with uncharacteristic openness", which contrasted Myanmar's secretive response to Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the country 10 days before the earthquake.[94] The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement consists of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation), and the 181 national Red Cross or Red Crescent societies currently recognized by the ICRC and admitted as full members of...
Alan Greenspan, former chairman, United States Federal Reserve. ...
Anthem: Kaba Ma Kyei Capital Naypyidaw , Largest city Yangon (Rangoon) Official languages Burmese Recognised regional languages Jingpho, Shan, Karen, Mon, Rakhine Demonym Burmese Government Military junta - Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe - Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Vice-Senior General...
On May 16, rescue groups from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia and Taiwan arrived to join the rescue effort.[95] The United States shared some of its satellite images of the quake-stricken areas with Chinese authorities.[96] During the weekend, the US sent into China two U.S. Air Force C-17's carrying supplies, which included tents and generators. [97] Xinhua reported 135,000 Chinese troops and medics are involved in the rescue effort across 58 counties and cities. is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the Lockheed aircraft with this designation, see C-17 Super Vega. ...
The Internet has been extensively used for passing information to aid rescue and recovery in China. For example, the official Xinhua has set up an online rescue request center in order to find the blind spots of disaster recovery.[98] After knowing that rescue helicopters had trouble in landing into the epicenter in Wenchuan, a student proposed a landing spot online and it was chosen as the first touchdown place for the helicopters.[99] Volunteers have also set up several websites to help store contact information for victims and evacuees.[100] Xinhua (Chinese:新华通讯社/新華通訊社, pinyin:xīnhuá tōngxùnshè) is also the short for Xinhua News Agency Xinhua (Chinese:新化县/新化縣, pinyin:xīnhuà xiàn) is a county in Hunan,China, See Xinhua County. ...
Reactions within China The State Council declared a three-day period of national mourning for the quake victims starting from May 19th, 2008; the Chinese National Flag and Regional Flags of Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR were raised at half mast. It is the first time that a national mourning period had been declared for something other than the death of a state leader, and many call it the biggest display of mourning since the death of Mao[101]. At 14:28 CST on May 19, 2008, a week after the earthquake, the Chinese public held a moment of silence. People stood silent for three minutes while air defense, police and fire sirens, and the horns of vehicles, vessels and trains sounded. Cars on Beijing's roads came to a halt. [102][103][104] The Ningbo Organizing Committee of Beijing Olympic torch relay announced that the relay would be suspended for the duration of the mourning period.[105] For the 1989 protest, see Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. ...
Peking redirects here. ...
Flag Flying Half-Staff over the White House Half-mast, or half-staff, describes the act of flying a flag approximately halfway up a flagpole (though anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the way up the flagpole is acceptable). ...
The State Council (国务院, pinyin: Guówùyuà n), which is largely synonymous with the Central Peoples Government (ä¸å¤®äººæ°‘政府), is the chief administrative authority of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Hong Kong (香港; Cantonese IPA: ; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2; Yale: heūng góng; pinyin: Xiānggǎng; Wade-Giles: Hsiang-kang) is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Flag Flying Half-Staff over the White House Half-mast, or half-staff, describes the act of flying a flag approximately halfway up a flagpole (though anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the way up the flagpole is acceptable). ...
Mao could refer to: Mao Zedong, (Mao Tse-Tung in Wade-Giles) leader of the Communist Party of China from 1935 to 1976. ...
A moment of silence is the expression for a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. ...
Ningbo (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ning-po; literally Tranquil Waves) is a seaport sub-provincial city with a population of 1,219,900 in northeastern Zhejiang province, Peoples Republic of China. ...
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