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Chinese quake – toll mounts to 80,000 |
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China has said the toll of dead and missing from this month’s powerful earthquake has jumped to more than 80,000, while the Government has appealed for millions of tents to shelter homeless survivors.
The confirmed number of dead rose nearly 10,000 from the day before to 51,151 on May 22 while 29,328 were listed as missing. Nearly 300,000 were hurt in the May 12 quake centred in Sichuan province. The disaster has left five million people homeless and levelled more than 80 per cent of buildings in some remote towns and villages near the epicentre. The Government has said, 5.36 million buildings have collapsed while 21 million more buildings have been damaged. China has said, all the nuclear facilities in the quake-hit areas were safe and secure. The Government said, 3.3 million tents were needed to house the survivors of the quake. China has mobilized nearly 1,30,000 troops and put its relief operations in high gear after gaining access to the cut off areas in the mountainous region. Four thousand children were orphaned and in a country which has adopted one-child per couple policy to control population, the authorities are receiving hundreds of calls from people offering to adopt them. An aftershock measuring six on the Richter scale on May 18 jolted Jiangyou county, causing cracks in the mountain and seriously damaging roads leaving huge crevices.
China observed a three-day mourning [May 19-21]. The National flag flew at half mast and all public amusements were suspended. The Olympic Torch relay was suspended for three days as part of the national mourning.
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