7.8 magnitude Quake jolts southwest China

[KimboCosmo]

50,000? And still counting?!

[Bellamy]

Yes.

 

China quake death toll could rise to 50,000

 

By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago

 

LUOSHUI TOWN, China - China warned the death toll from this week's earthquake could soar to 50,000, while the government issued a public appeal Thursday for rescue equipment as it struggled to cope with the disaster.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

More than 72 hours after the quake rattled central China, rescuers appeared to shift from poring through downed buildings for survivors to the grim duty of searching for bodies — with 10 million directly affected by Monday's temblor.

 

At least 12,300 people remained buried and another 102,100 were injured in Sichuan province, where the quake was centered, the vice governor told reporters.

 

In Luoshui town — on the road to an industrial zone in Shifang city where two chemical plants collapsed, burying hundreds of people — troops used a mechanical shovel to dig a pit on a hilltop to bury the dead.

 

Police and militia in Dujiangyan pulverized rubble with cranes and backhoes while crews used shovels to pick around larger pieces of debris. On one sidestreet, about a dozen bodies were laid on a sidewalk, while incense sticks placed in a pile of sand sent smoke into the air as a tribute and to dull the stench of death.

 

The bodies were later lifted onto a flatbed truck, joining some half-dozen corpses. Ambulances sped past, sirens wailing, filled with survivors. Workers asked those left homeless to sign up for temporary housing, although it was unclear where they would live.

 

Not all hope of finding survivors was lost. After more than three days trapped under debris, a 22-year-old woman was pulled to safety in Dujiangyan. Covered in dust and peering out through a small opening, she was shown waving on state television shortly before being rescued.

 

"I was confident that you were coming to rescue me. I'm alive. I'm so happy," the unnamed woman said on CCTV.

 

One earthquake expert said the time for rescues was growing short.

 

"Generally speaking, anyone buried in an earthquake can survive without water and food for three days," said Gu Linsheng, a researcher with Tsinghua University's Emergency Management Research Center. "After that, it's usually a miracle for anyone to survive."

 

The confirmed death toll reached 19,509 on Thursday, up from the nearly 15,000 confirmed dead the day before, according to the Earthquake and Disaster Relief Headquarters of the State Council, the country's Cabinet. The council said deaths could rise to some 50,000, state TV reported.

 

The government issued an appeal to the Chinese public calling for donations of rescue equipment including hammers, shovels, demolition tools and rubber boats. The plea on the Ministry of Information Industry's Web Site said, for example, that 100 cranes were needed.

 

More than 130,000 soldiers and police joined the relief operation, Xinhua said.

 

"This is only a beginning of this battle, and a long way lies ahead of us," Vice Health Minister Gao Qiang told reporters in Beijing.

 

"We will never give up hope," he said. "For every thread of hope, our efforts will increase 100-fold. We will never give up."

 

Premier Wen Jiabao visited Qingchuan in northern Sichuan province, site of a collapsed school that buried dozens of children, to encourage doctors and nurses aiding the injured.

 

"The party and the government are grateful to you. The people need you," he said in footage shown on CCTV. "They see you as a relative. Every act and word of yours represents the government."

 

After days of refusing foreign relief workers, China accepted an offer from Japan to send a rescue team, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in an announcement posted on the ministry Web site.

 

Taiwan's Red Cross said China also agreed to accept a 20-person emergency relief team from the island. Taiwan is also sending a cargo plane to Chengdu with tents and medical supplies. The Air Macau plane will make a brief stop in Macau.

 

Taiwan and China, which split during civil war in 1949, have banned regular direct links and other formal contacts as political disputes persist.

 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also issued an emergency appeal for medical help, food, water and tents.

 

Gu Qinghui, the federation's disaster management director for East Asia who visited Beichuan county near the epicenter, said more than 4 million homes were shattered across the quake area.

 

"The whole county has been destroyed. Basically there is no Beichuan county anymore," Gu said in Beijing, adding the death toll was sure to rise.

 

Roads were cleared Thursday to two key areas that felt the brunt of the quake's force, with workers making it to Wenchuan at the epicenter and also through to Beichuan county, Xinhua reported. Communication cables also were reconnected to Wenchuan.

 

The blocked roads had prevented rescuers from moving heavy equipment to the worst-affected areas, with soldiers riding to isolated mountain villages on helicopters and small boats previously forced to dig for survivors with their hands.

 

Hundreds of troops marched to the epicenter across the Zipingpu dam that had reportedly suffered cracks from the disaster, raising fears it could endanger communities downriver. There was no repair work or extra security seen Thursday at the dam by an Associated Press photographer, indicating the threat to the structure had likely passed.

 

Public donations so far have totaled $186 million in cash and goods, Xinhua said.

 

Dujiangyan city was clogged with buses and trucks decked out with banners from companies saying they were offering aid to disaster victims. One tour bus was stuffed full of water bottles, cartons of biscuits and instant noodles.

 

Public donations so far have totaled $125 million in both cash and goods.

 

NBA star Yao Ming, China's most famous athlete, was planning to donate $285,000 to the relief effort, agent Erik Zhang said.

 

"My thoughts are with everyone back in my home country of China during this very dark and emotional time," Yao said in a statement from Houston, where he is recovering from a broken left foot with hopes of competing in the Beijing Olympics this August.

 

As the rescue effort gathered momentum, the depth of the problem of tens of thousands homeless stretched government resources.

 

North of Chengdu in Deyang, the largest town near the devastated areas of Hanwang and Mianyang, thousands of people have streamed into the city hospital since Monday, mostly with head or bone injuries.

 

Patients heavily wrapped in bandages and with cuts and bruises were huddled in canvas tents in the hospital's parking lot.

 

"Our doctors have worked continuously since Monday and people keep coming in. We have to keep strengthening our measures to keep up," said Luo Mingxuan, the Communist Party secretary of the hospital.

 

There were piles of donated clothing for survivors at the hospital and stands for them to make free telephone calls. Handwritten notes with names of the injured were posted on a board in front of the hospital's emergency section, where ambulances arrived every few minutes.

 

Also Thursday, a group of 33 American, British and French tourists were airlifted from Wolong, site of the world's most famous panda preserve, to the provincial capital of Chengdu, Xinhua reported. All were in good health, Xinhua said.

 

___

 

Associated Press writers Audra Ang in Mianyang, Christopher Bodeen in Dujiangyan, and Cara Anna and Anita Chang in Beijing contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080515/ap_on_..._earthquake_153

[Nikosn17]

This is out of control

[Bellamy]

A 6.5 magnitude aftershock happened earlier today.

 

22069 confirmed died, over 14,000 are still buried. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes.

 

Some Chinese fans from our forum are living in tents at open space now. They need help.

[KimboCosmo]

I wish there was something I could do

 

I wonder what Celine has said or if anything about this situation. She usually donates for things like this.

[Krys]

A 6.5 magnitude aftershock happened earlier today.

 

22069 confirmed died, over 14,000 are still buried. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes.

 

Some Chinese fans from our forum are living in tents at open space now. They need help.

 

omg

[Bellamy]

Confirmed death toll from China quake reaches 28,881: govt

 

Sat May 17, 4:32 AM ET

 

BEIJING (AFP) - The confirmed earthquake death toll in China has risen to 28,881, a central government official said Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Another 198,347 people have been injured as of 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), Guo Weimin, a spokesman for China's State Council told a news conference.

 

Government officials have previously estimated that the death toll from Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake is above 50,000.

 

The upgrade in the toll came as officials in one major city near the epicentre, Deyang, sharply raised their estimate on how many residents died there to 20,000.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080517/wl_af...ll_080517083214

[Krys]

i cried when i read an article in the newspaper about the doctors helping those poor kids out of the rubble the doctors were amputating their limbs and some die during surgery the poor souls Edited May 17, 2008 at 04:17 PM by lamourpourCeline

[Bellamy]

Magnitude 6.1 quake hits Sichuan, China: USGS

 

35 minutes ago

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Sichuan province in China on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, five days after a massive tremor killed tens of thousands of people.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

USGS reported the latest earthquake, which follows scores of slightly less strong aftershocks during the week, was nearly 50 miles deep and hit 49 miles west of Guangyuan.

 

The quake hit as thousands of Chinese fled their homes on Saturday amid fears a lake could burst its banks, hampering rescue efforts after Monday's 7.9 earthquake killed about 29,000 people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080517/ts_nm/...china_usgs_dc_1

 

Why it won't stop?

[dj4celine]

OMG!! Not another one

[anna]

in a matter of about two weeks, about 200,000 people died including Myanmar

this is too treacherous, i pray

[Lymon]

This is very sad. I feel so bad for all of the Chinese citizens who have died, were injured, are still missing, or have lost their homes. My prayers go out to them and their families and friends. Edited May 17, 2008 at 07:04 PM by Lymon

[Bellamy]

2nd Strong Aftershock Hits China Sunday Morning

 

LiveScience Staff

 

LiveScience.com Sat May 17, 4:31 PM ET

 

Updated 4:27 p.m. ET

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Another strong aftershock struck the Sichuan region of China early Sunday morning.

 

The preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey put the aftershock at magnitude 5.7.

 

It struck Sunday at 1:08 a.m. local time near the Sichuan-Gansu border region, according to a USGS statement. The temblor was 50 miles (80 km) from Guangyuan, Sichuan and 830 miles (1,135 km) from Beijing.

 

There were no reports from the scene as of this writing.

 

On Friday, an aftershock measuring 5.5 caused landslides and further rattled nerves. It followed the initial devastating 7.9 temblor that struck earlier this week.

 

On Saturday, residents near the quakes epicenter fled, fearing flooding from rivers choked by landslides.

 

* Video: Earthquake Forecast

* Image Gallery: Deadly Earthquakes

* Why the China Quake Was So Devastating

 

* Original Story: 2nd Strong Aftershock Hits China Sunday Morning

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/200805...nasundaymorning

 

[Black Kitten]

godbless china...

[Bellamy]

China's quake death toll reaches 32,477

 

Sun May 18, 4:40 AM ET

 

BEIJING (AFP) - The confirmed death toll from China's earthquake rose Sunday to 32,477, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing the government's disaster relief headquarters.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

It put the number of injured at 220,109.

 

The confirmed death toll rose by more than 3,500 from the day before.

 

The government has estimated more than 50,000 people died from last Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake, China's worst natural disaster in a generation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080518/ts_af...ll_080518084037

[Bellamy]

3 pandas missing from reserve after China quake

 

2 hours, 46 minutes ago

 

BEIJING - Three giant pandas are missing from the world's most famous panda reserve after the earthquake and five staff members were killed, a Chinese official said Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

All the pandas at the Wolong Nature Reserve were first reported safe Tuesday, but an official with the State Forestry Administration now says three are missing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.

 

The reserve's other 60 giant pandas are safe, forestry spokesman Cao Qingyao told Xinhua.

 

The reserve is 18 miles from the epicenter of the May 12 earthquake that has killed more than 32,000 people. The government has said it expects the final death toll will surpass 50,000.

 

The quake also destroyed or severely damaged all 32 of the reserve's panda houses, Cao said.

 

Wolong is the only place in the world where pandas, among the world's rarest animals, can be seen in such large numbers.

 

Late Tuesday, officials at Wolong used a satellite phone to contact the forestry administration and report that the pandas were safe, Xinhua reported.

 

It was not clear why the initial report differed from Sunday's report. Phone calls to the state forestry administration and to the forestry bureau in Sichuan province rang unanswered Sunday night. Fixed phone lines to the reserve remained down. Officials have been able to call the reserve only by satellite phone.

 

"The first batch of bamboo, apples, and veterinary medicine for the pandas, as well as food and the tents urgently needed by the staff, arrived at the Wolong Reserve on Saturday night," Cao told Xinhua.

 

The panda is a national symbol of China, with about 1,590 living in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan and the western province of Shaanxi. Another 180 have been bred in captivity.

 

More than 60 pandas at another breeding center in Chengdu were reported safe after the quake, and the center reopened to tourists Tuesday morning, Xinhua said. Another eight pandas at a preserve in Ya'an, about an hour's drive west of Chengdu, were reported safe as well.

 

The Wolong center is deep in the hills north of Chengdu along a winding, two-lane road that reports say was wiped out in places by the quake.

 

Both the Wolong and Chengdu centers are part of efforts to breed giant pandas in hopes of increasing the species' chances of survival.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080518/ap_on_...4vNmVS0pbtPzWQA

[Bellamy]

China holding 3 days of mourning for quake victims

 

By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer 19 minutes ago

 

BEICHUAN, China - China declared three days of national mourning for earthquake victims and ordered a suspension of the Olympic torch relay, as the search for survivors of the disaster grew bleak Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

The State Council said the mourning period would start Monday and include three minutes of silence observed nationwide at 2:28 p.m., the time the quake struck.

 

Beijing Olympic organizers said in a statement that the torch relay would be suspended "to express our deep mourning to the victims of the earthquake."

 

The relay already had resumed last week after the quake on a more somber note, with runners starting with a minute of silence and asking for donations along the route. Organizers have said the relay would go on as planned in quake-hit Sichuan province next month.

 

In the disaster zone, efforts appeared to shift Sunday from searching for buried survivors to clearing corpses from shattered buildings as the government said the confirmed death toll rose to 32,476.

 

Another 220,109 people suffered injuries, according to a statement from the State Council, China's Cabinet. The government has said it expects the final death toll will surpass 50,000.

 

Rescuers amputated the legs of a woman to rescue her after six days trapped under a flattened power plant in Yingxiu town, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. A man survived with head injuries after being pulled from a collapsed office building in Maoxian county to the northeast, and was expected to recover.

 

A "slightly bruised" man also was saved from a collapsed hospital after being trapped for 139 hours, the agency said.

 

In Beichuan town near the quake's epicenter, few hopeful relatives were seen in Beichuan, where several dozen corpses in blue body bags lay in a street. Soldiers regularly pulled more dead from the wreckage.

 

"It will soon be too late" to find trapped survivors, said Koji Fujiya, deputy leader of a Japanese rescue team that pulled 10 bodies from a flattened school Sunday. "We hope with our hard work we will find more people alive."

 

A "slightly bruised" man was pulled out alive from a collapsed hospital Sunday after being trapped for 139 hours, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Experts say buried earthquake survivors can live a week or more, depending on factors including the temperature and whether they have water to drink.

 

A Malaysian rescue team in the town of Muyu, further north, sifted slowly and methodically through the wreckage. However, they were not tapping on the debris in hopes that survivors would hear and respond as other crews had done earlier — instead using giant cutters to split steel girders.

 

Dozens of students were buried in new graves dotting a green hillside overlooking the rubble, the small mounds of dirt failing to block the pungent smell of decay wafting from the ground. Most graves were unmarked, though several had wooden markers with names scribbled on them.

 

Zhou Bencen, 36, said he raced to the town's middle school after the earthquake, where relatives who arrived earlier had dug out the body of his 13-year-old daughter, Zhou Xiao, crushed on the first floor.

 

Zhou cradled his wife in his arms, holding her hand and stroking her back while she sobbed hysterically. "Oh God, oh God, why is life so bitter?" Liao Jinju wailed, over and over. The couple's 9-year-old son survived.

 

More international aid was arriving, with two U.S. Air Force cargo planes loaded with tents, lanterns and 15,000 meals landing Sunday in the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu.

 

The government appealed for more public donations in a live national telethon Sunday evening, where dozens of people dropped envelopes packed with cash into boxes. They wore red heart stickers on their chests labeled "sacrifice of love."

 

Before the telethon, China had received $1.3 billion in civic donations from home and abroad.

 

Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged rescue teams to reach remote villages battered by the earthquake where the level of damage remained unknown, according to Xinhua.

 

That was reinforced by a group of about 15 people who surrounded an Associated Press reporter at a gasoline station in Mianyang city Sunday, appealing for help for their village, Xiushui.

 

"The government is doing nothing to help us," said one man, who identified himself only by his surname, Chen. "If I gave you my complete name the government would track me down."

 

Chen did not say how many people lived there. He handed over a note signed "by the people of Xiushui," reading: "Please go to our village of Xiushui to cover the situation. The government is doing nothing to help us get water or housing."

 

Also in the quake area, three giant pandas were missing from the world's most famous reserve for the endangered animals.

 

All the pandas at the Wolong Nature Reserve were first reported safe Tuesday, but an official with the State Forestry Administration now says three are missing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.

 

Panda houses at the reserve were severely damaged and five staff members there were killed, forestry spokesman Cao Qingyao told Xinhua.

 

The 60 other giant pandas at the Wolong Nature Reserve were safe, according to the agency. The reserve is 18 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake.

 

Phone calls to the state forestry administration and to the forestry bureau in Sichuan province rang unanswered Sunday night. Fixed phone lines to the reserve remained down. Officials have been able to call the reserve only by satellite phone.

 

Meanwhile, flood threats from rivers blocked by landslides from the quake appeared to have eased after three waterways near the epicenter overflowed with no problems, Xinhua said. County officials diverted released water as a precaution.

 

The quake damaged some water projects, such as reservoirs and hydroelectric stations, but no reservoirs had burst, Liu Ning, engineer in chief with the Ministry of Water Resources, told Xinhua.

 

Nuclear facilities jolted by the quake were confirmed safe and troops were sent to reinforce security there, air force Maj. Gen. Ma Jian, deputy chief of operations for the military's General Staff Headquarters, told reporters in Beijing.

 

China's nuclear safety agency ordered staff to be on standby in case of an environmental emergency following the quake.

 

The French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety said China reported "light damage" to unspecified nuclear facilities that were being dismantled before the quake.

 

Thierry Charles, the group's director of plant safety, said Chinese authorities immediately shut down nuclear sites for inspection. He said China's nuclear safety agency, NNSA, had reported no leaks of radioactivity since the quake.

 

China has a research reactor, two nuclear fuel production sites and two atomic weapons sites in Sichuan province, the French nuclear watchdog has said, all located 40 to 90 miles from the epicenter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080518/ap_on_..._earthquake_239

[Bellamy]

Canada's PM wites to Hu about China's earthquake

 

48 minutes ago

 

OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday he had written to Chinese president Hu Jintao to send condolences, a week after a massive earthquake in China left more than 71,000 people in Sichuan missing, wounded or dead.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

He "expressed, on behalf of Canada, his deep sadness and heartfelt sympathy with the Chinese people suffering as a result of the earthquake in China's Sichuan province last week," Harper's office said in a statement.

 

"Canada joins with China as it mourns the tens of thousands of lives lost. We wish a swift recovery to all those who were injured in the earthquake," Harper said.

 

"The thoughts and prayers of the Canadian people are and will continue to be with the people of China throughout this ordeal," he added.

 

China came to a standstill Monday to mourn its earthquake victims as the number of dead, missing or buried soared past 71,000.

 

Air sirens wailed across the country as most motorists stopped and blared their horns, bringing an eerie halt to China's usually bustling big cities for three minutes from 2:28 pm (0628 GMT), the moment the quake struck a week ago.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080519/wl_ca...ke_080519165843

 

I also heard the Canadian government would donate one dollar to China for every dollar it's citizen donates. I hope Celine would donate to China like she did for the Tsunami and Katrina. I'm sure she will offer her help when she knows about it.

[A New Day Has Come]

BEICHUAN, China - A government warning of a major aftershock sent thousands of panicked survivors running into the darkened streets Monday night following an unprecedented display of mourning for more than 34,000 people killed in a powerful earthquake one week ago.

 

In shattered Sichuan province, quake-weary residents carried pillows, blankets and chairs from homes into the open or slept in cars after a statement from the National Seismology Bureau was read on television warning that there was a "rather great" chance of an aftershock measuring magnitude 6 to 7. Such jolts could cause major damage.

 

People in the provincial capital of Chengdu got in their cars and drove east — toward plains and away from the quake zone to the northwest. At intersections outside the city, clusters of people slept on bedrolls. Cars were parked along a service road to a highway, their drivers sleeping on the sidewalk.

 

Story continues below ↓

 

In Mianyang, closer to the quake zone, a hospital moved patients into the square outside the rail station, setting up beds, medicine trays and tents.

 

The alarm compounded uneasiness in the region, which has been rumbled by dozens of aftershocks since the May 12 quake, including one on Monday night measured at magnitude 5.2 by the U.S. Geological Survey. No damage or injuries were reported.

 

National reflection

It came a few hours after China's more than 1 billion people paused for three minutes of mourning — an observance that previously only honored the death of a top Chinese leader.

 

 

Click for related content

View high-definition quake images

 

 

At 2:28 p.m., the moment the quake hit, wailing air-raid sirens and the blare of horns from cars, ships and trains signaled the start of the commemoration.

 

From the broad boulevards of Beijing to the shaken streets of Sichuan province, everyone stood still. Traffic halted in cities, soldiers stood at attention, and people bowed their heads in respect for the dead.

 

President Hu Jintao led senior government figures in a solemn ceremony televised nationally. Rescuers also briefly halted work in the disaster zone, where hope of finding more survivors was all but gone.

 

The Olympic torch relay, a potent symbol of national pride in the countdown to the Beijing Games, was suspended.

 

 

Click for related content

‘Disaster fatigue’ blamed for drop in giving

China's one-child policy causes extra pain

Quake fault line buckled in two stages

World Blog: Quake victims’ generosity of spirit

 

 

The occasion demonstrated the profound impact of the quake.

 

China's Cabinet said the confirmed death toll rose to 34,073, although it is expected to climb. Another 5,260 remained buried in Sichuan, the provincial government said. Almost 250,000 are injured.

 

 

 

The three-minute commemoration — part of an official three days of mourning — gave the government a chance to recognize and channel the grief of millions who have watched the disaster play out in unusually free coverage by state media.

 

Yin Pu, a Beijing psychologist, said the depth of feeling that people expressed Monday was a surprise.

 

"The only thing that was planned was the time. We could not have imagined that it would be so powerful," said Yin, who is recruiting volunteer counselors to send to the quake zone.

 

But there were already signs that the unity would be short-lived

[A New Day Has Come]

In Xiushui, one of scores of mountain villages in Sichuan province that were cut off for days in the days immediately after the quake, residents were grateful they now had water, food and other supplies. But they complained the response was slow and blamed local officials whom they described as corrupt and indifferent — a common complaint in rural China that has fueled sporadic protests in the past decade.

 

"During the first three days after the quake, the local government gave us nothing. No water or food," said Yu Jun, a 44-year-old farmer living in a roadside tent. "In the first few days, we had to get our cooking water from an irrigation ditch. You could see little bugs wiggling around in the water. You would get sick if you drank it."

 

There were other signs of edginess.

 

Story continues below ↓

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

advertisement

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

In a gymnasium in Mianyang, east of Xiushui, refugees panicked Sunday when health workers arrived wearing masks, setting off fears of an epidemic. Police were sent in to keep tensions from boiling over.

 

And in Tiananmen Square, the focus of pro-democracy rallies in 1989 that were crushed by the military, a mourning ceremony erupted into a nationalistic rally as about 1,000 people punched the air with their fists and shouted: "Long live China!" The crowd dispersed after about one hour when police told them to move on.

 

In a sign the government is sensitive to public perceptions of its response to the disaster, the ruling Communist Party's discipline committee said it had reprimanded three local officials in the quake zone for dereliction of duty, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

 

The party had instructed its officials to stand "at the front line" of the disaster and these three had failed to do so, Xinhua said.

 

Teams of rescuers still searched debris with their hands and shovels in the hope of finding anyone alive, but their successes were few. Two women were rescued Monday morning from a collapsed building at a mine site, Xinhua reported.

 

Signaling it wants help to deal with millions of homeless and injured survivors, China said it would accept foreign medical teams and made an international appeal for tents to provide shelter for the coming rainy season.

 

More than 200 relief workers were buried in the past three days by mudslides while working to repair roads in Sichuan, Xinhua reported. An official confirmed there had been mudslides causing some deaths but said casualties were still being counted.

 

 

FirstPerson: Help us report the story

Do you have videos, photos or reports from the scene?

FirstPerson: Readers tell their stories from China

 

 

 

For some, there was no solace in Monday's ceremonies.

 

"I can't feel anything. I have no words," said Hu Yongcui, who did not pause in her search for her missing 17-year-old daughter. "I just want to go home. I just want to find my daughter."

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24704047/page/2/

[Bellamy]

Is she crazy???

Sharon Stone Calls Chinese Earthquake "Karma"

 

Posted May 26th 2008 2:06PM by TMZ Staff

 

When is a natural disaster a good thing? When the afflicted country commits human rights violations -- at least according to Sharon Stone.

 

Stone gave an interview while on the red carpet at Cannes this weekend in which -- after recounting all of China's atrocities -- she wondered, "All these earthquake and stuff happened and I thought, 'Is that karma?' When you are not nice that bad things happen to you." My name is Sharon!

 

Sharon went on to say she has come around and no longer thinks the death of over 60,000 people is cosmic payback. "Basic Instinct 2" is a whole other story.

http://www.tmz.com/2008/05/26/sharon-stone...rthquake-karma/

[stevethefan]

OMG she really said that?

[Bellamy]

Look the interview video from the link I posted. She's totally disgusting.

[KimboCosmo]

Woah...a bit harsh

[Krys]

hmph...she's becoming a batty ol' woman

[KimboCosmo]

Shes in the category with Crackney anyway and all those nasties

[Jacqui]

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, but I read yesterday that Celine's donating money to a charity for the Earthquake.

[dj4celine]

Sharon is being so stupid. I mean, how can you even say those things when people's lives are lost She needs a tight whip in her butt to set her "karma" right

[KimboCosmo]

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere, but I read yesterday that Celine's donating money to a charity for the Earthquake.

I knew she would once she heard of it...she always does that kind of thing

[Bellamy]

I can't find this news anywhere though. I really hope it's true.