Entire generations wiped out in China
Hopes of survival of the 40,000-odd people missing or trapped in debris seemed to recede some 56 hours after the earthquake struck China's southwest province of Sichuan.
BEIJING: Hopes of survival of the 40,000-odd people missing or trapped in debris seemed to recede some 56 hours after the earthquake struck China's southwest province of Sichuan. Only a few people have so far been pulled out of fallen buildings and other debris, suggesting that rescue mission in this mountainous region is extremely daunting.
With China practising one-child family norm over the past two decades, many of the parents that have lost children were suddenly faced the possibility of an entire generation or family tree being wiped out.
Several heart rending scenes emerged out of the havoc. Liu Ning, a school teacher, saved the lives of 59 children trapped under the debris of the Beichuan Middle School. He later found that his own daughter, a student in class ninth, had died in the quake.
Though military troops have managed to supply food and medicines to many inaccessible areas using helicopters, there were still 11 villages near the epicentre of the earth quake that had not been reached by rescue workers.
Official figures of the total death climbed gradually to 15,000 till Wednesday evening as the government machinery was set on implementing premier Wen Jiabao's orders to never give up hope of saving people trapped under debris. One reason for the slow rise of the death toll was the focus by the machinery on saving lives instead of recovering bodies.
Wen, in an unprecedented move, personally directed rescue operations for over 50 hours in the midst of the disaster zone. His presence made a huge difference when it came to mobilizing forces and keeping up the tempo of rescue operations.
Meanwhile, thousands of Chinese soldiers rushed to repair a dam badly cracked by the earthquake. The Chinese government said that nearly 400 dams suffered damage in the earthquake.
In Yingxiu town, soldiers found that only 2,300 out of its 10,000 residents have survived. In Dujiangyan, rescue workers could pull out just four persons after several hours of effort. Over 50,000 troops have been put into operation and many more are on the way to the affected places. They have been spread out to some of the most difficult to reach places.
Courtesy: Times of India
With China practising one-child family norm over the past two decades, many of the parents that have lost children were suddenly faced the possibility of an entire generation or family tree being wiped out.
Several heart rending scenes emerged out of the havoc. Liu Ning, a school teacher, saved the lives of 59 children trapped under the debris of the Beichuan Middle School. He later found that his own daughter, a student in class ninth, had died in the quake.
Though military troops have managed to supply food and medicines to many inaccessible areas using helicopters, there were still 11 villages near the epicentre of the earth quake that had not been reached by rescue workers.
Official figures of the total death climbed gradually to 15,000 till Wednesday evening as the government machinery was set on implementing premier Wen Jiabao's orders to never give up hope of saving people trapped under debris. One reason for the slow rise of the death toll was the focus by the machinery on saving lives instead of recovering bodies.
Wen, in an unprecedented move, personally directed rescue operations for over 50 hours in the midst of the disaster zone. His presence made a huge difference when it came to mobilizing forces and keeping up the tempo of rescue operations.
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The biggest challenge in moving troops and material continues to be the blockades on the roads caused by fallen rocks and massive cracks on the asphalt surface. Meanwhile, thousands of Chinese soldiers rushed to repair a dam badly cracked by the earthquake. The Chinese government said that nearly 400 dams suffered damage in the earthquake.
In Yingxiu town, soldiers found that only 2,300 out of its 10,000 residents have survived. In Dujiangyan, rescue workers could pull out just four persons after several hours of effort. Over 50,000 troops have been put into operation and many more are on the way to the affected places. They have been spread out to some of the most difficult to reach places.
Courtesy: Times of India
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