Citation
(2008), "Earthquake - China", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 17 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2008.07317eab.007
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Earthquake - China
Article Type: News items From: Disaster Prevention and Management, Volume 17, Issue 5
On May 12, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck central China, devastating a region of small cities and towns in Sichuan and nearby provinces. The earthquake resulted from motion on a northeast striking reverse fault or thrust fault on the northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin.
The quake hit 60 miles northwest of Chengdu in the middle of the school day and left hundreds of students and teachers trapped under the rubble of toppled schools. The Xinhua News Agency reported that 80 percent of the buildings in Beichuan County in Sichuan Province collapsed.
On Sunday, May 25, a magnitude-6.0 aftershock destroyed tens of thousands of homes and strained recovery efforts. As of May 26, the death toll was reported to be more than 65,000, with over 5.3 million buildings destroyed and 21 million damaged as a result of the initial event and its aftershocks.
The quake is considered the deadliest to hit China since 1976.