Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 24, 2008 8:46:53 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Troops Race Clock to Save Chinese Buried Alive

Posted May 14, 08 4:42 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – China has rushed 50,000 more troops to Sichuan province to help dig for earthquake survivors before time runs out, Reuters reports. Tens of thousands of people are still buried under rubble from Monday's devastating 7.9 quake. Rescuers reaching the hardest-hit areas say the destruction is worse than feared, with the death toll now at 20,000 and likely to keep climbing. "Time is life," said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who's overseeing operations.

Heavy rain means rescuers must struggle through landslides. Aid has been airlifted to areas cut off from the rest of the country, and rescuers have been parachuted into the heart of the disaster zone. Military and police teams battling to reach remote areas say entire towns have been flattened. In Mianzhu, near the epicenter, rescuers pulled 500 people alive from the wreckage of collapsed buildings.

Sources Reuters, AFP

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • China Pushes 'Hush Money' on Grieving Quake Parents

    5 hours, 5 minutes ago
    China Pushes 'Hush Money' on Grieving Quake Parents Officials in China's Sichuan province are buying the silence of parents who lost children in May's devastating earthquake, the New York Times reports. Grieving parents are being pressured to sign agreements accepting $9,000 in compensation if they stop asking questions about why so many schools collapsed. They are told they will get nothing if they refuse to sign. More »

  • Chinese School-Collapse Critic Busted as Spy

    Jul 11, 08 5:28 AM CDT
    Chinese School-Collapse Critic Busted as Spy An activist who tried to help bereaved Sichuan parents get answers about why so many schools collapsed in May's earthquake has been arrested, the New York Times reports. Huang Qi was taken away by plainclothes police after posting information about the parents on his website. He has been accused of possessing state secrets and could face years in jail. More »

  • China Quake Beat the Odds

    Jun 30, 08 4:06 PM CDT
    China Quake Beat the Odds The earthquake that leveled parts of China’s Sichuan province last month was a geological oddity arising from usually inactive faults, LiveScience reports. The bizarre seismological coincidences behind the quake explain why no one was able to predict the event, which claimed 69,000 lives. More »

  • Breastfeeding Officer Sparks Debate in China

    Jun 22, 08 5:44 PM CDT
    Breastfeeding Officer Sparks Debate in China A policewoman has sparked debate in Beijing after breastfeeding nine orphaned babies during last month's earthquake, Reuters reports. Officials have promoted Jiang Xiaojuan, 30, calling her "hero and model police officer," but others argue that merit, not deeds, should lead to promotion. Xiaojuan left her baby at home to help with disaster relief and earned the press nickname "police mum." More »

  • Draining Quake Lake Floods China Town

    Jun 10, 08 6:44 AM CDT
    Draining Quake Lake Floods China Town A town devastated by the Sichuan earthquake was flooded today as soldiers worked to drain a dangerous quake lake, reports Reuters. Water whooshed into Beichuan after explosives and missiles were used to blast holes in the dam created by the earthquake. Some 250,000 people downstream had already been evacuated. More »

Rescuers search for survivors at a damaged school following Monday's powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Hanwang town in Sichuan province, China, Wednesday, May 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Rescuers gives a female survivor first aid after pulling her out of a school damaged following Monday's earthquake in Hanwang town in Sichuan province, China, Wednesday, May 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A rescuer saves a girl in the rubble in Beichuan County, just east of the epicenter of Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake, southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday, May 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Cong Feng)
Rescuers search for survivors in the earthquake-hit region of Beichuan County, about 160 kilometers northeast of the epicenter in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday May 13, 2008.   (AP Photo)
Rescuers search for survivors at a damaged school following Monday's powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Hanwang town in Sichuan province, China, Wednesday, May 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Rescuers carry a wounded woman from the debris of a collapsed building after the earthquake in Beichuan county in southwest China's Sichuan province.   (AP Photo/Wang Jiaowen, ColorChinaPhoto)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
China's Premier Wen arrives at Shifang to direct relief work.   (cctvupload)

« Prev « Prev  |  Next » Next »
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 3)

Tags

China  • earthquake  • China earthquake  • rescue  • Sichuan province  • disaster zones  • People's Liberation Army


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »