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Powerful Earthquake Strikes
Central China |
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A
7.8-magnitude earthquake hit central China on Monday, trapping
nearly 900 students in a collapsed school and leaving thousands
dead across several provinces.
The powerful earthquake sent thousands of people rushing out of
buildings and into the street hundreds of miles away, including
Beijing and Shanghai. The tremor was felt as far away as
Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand.
Premier Wen Jiabao left Beijing and tried to reach the area of
the epicenter after the tremor rocked the region at 0628 GMT at
a depth 18 miles. Troops have already been sent to help with the
disaster relief work in Wenchuan, a city of 111,000 people in
Sichuan. Wenchaun is best-known as the home of the Wolong nature
Reserve, China's leading research base for giant pandas.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake is considered a major event, capable
of causing widespread damage and injuries in populated areas.
A spokesman for the?Beijing Olympic committee said no venues
were affected by the earthquake. The massive Three Gorges Dam-
400 miles from the epicenter also was
not damaged.
We are very confident Chinese Government will have the ability
to meet the?challenge of this catastrophe.
5/12/08 Houston |
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