China
China's catastrophic quake
On May 12, 2008, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake shook China, devastating a vast area in the southwestern province of Sichuan, and killing nearly 90,000 people. View some early images and reporting on the disaster.
Stunned and injured survivors sit on the rubble in Beichuan, China, on May 13, 2008, one day after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck. The quake, centered in neighboring Wenchuan county, in China's southwestern Sichuan province was felt nationwide, and seriously damaged an area about the size of Kentucky. The official death toll was 68,712 plus 18,000 listed as missing and presumed dead.
Rescue workers pull a young girl from the rubble of a collapsed school in Juyuan, China on May 13, 2008. The quake was the worst the country had experienced in three decades. It's aftermath was especially horrific because it struck in the middle of the day on a Monday, causing hundreds of poorly constructed schools to collapse and kill a disproportionate number of children.
A Chinese man mourns the death of a student near the site of a school that collapsed in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province on May 13, 2008. Hundreds of teenaged students were killed when this four-story structure collapsed. The heart-rending scene of parents mourning their children was repeated throughout the quake zone, where hundreds of schools collapsed--prompting critics to compare the construction materials to "tofu dregs."
An earthquake survivor at a hospital in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan province. The city of more than 10.4 million residents was largely unscathed by the earthquake, though towns just outside its perimeter were badly damaged. Victims were transported to dozens of hospitals in Chengdu and other cities in the region.
Rescuers carry the body of a student out of the debris of the collapsed Juyuan Middle School at the earthquake-stricken Juyuan township about 20 miles north of Chengdu, China on May 13, 2008. China's central government in Beijing won acclaim for its large and efficient response to the disaster, but the widespread collapse of schools caused bitter controversy over poor government oversight at the local level.
A soldier gives water to a wounded woman in Beichuan county, near the epicenter of the earthquake, a day after the temblor devastated this town. This was one of the first areas that rescuers were able to reach after the quake hit. In more remote areas, where roads were destroyed, some towns and villages were cut off for many days, except to air rescue.
A rescue worker carries a survivor from a collapsed building in the old city district in Beichuan county on May 15, 2008, three days after the initial earthquake struck. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake on May 12 was followed by thousands of aftershocks, some of which caused new damage and deaths.
Grieving parents gather in front of a high school in Hanwang township, Mianzhu City northeast of Chengdu on May 14, 2008, two days after the earthquake struck. The Chinese government recently announced that 5,335 students were killed in the quake, and another 546 were left disabled by the disaster. Some Chinese activists believe the number was higher.
Residents charge their cell phones with power from a generator brought in for a temporary outdoor shelter in Dujiangyan, north of Chengdu, China on May 14, 2008. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, tens of thousands were living on the street, in stadiums or or other makeshift shelters because their homes were destroyed or damaged, or because they feared aftershocks.
Soldiers carry a wounded man out of a collapsed building in Beichuan County, Sichuan Province, on May 14, 2008. Beijing ordered tens of thousands of troops to the earthquake stricken region to help with search and rescue. They were largely lauded for their work, though in some places, residents complained that the soldiers lacked the heavy equipment needed to remove the debris.
The body of a girl who was found in the rubble of the Qushan kindergarten is carried across a bridge in Beichuan county, Sichuan province on May 16, 2008. The child's body was found with that of a classmate at the kindergarten. The two children, who had been taking a nap when the earthquake hit, were later buried together at the park.
Rescuers gather on a collapsed building in earthquake-stricken Beichuan city, southwest China's Sichuan province on May 15, 2008. Several devastated towns in the earthquake zone, including this one, were considered unsalvageable and were not to be rebuilt. About 12,000 people, or 75 percent of the population of Beichuan, were killed in the quake. Surviving residents were to be relocated.
A victim's hand peeks out from under a blanket in the foreground amid the rubble of Beichuan, an especially hard-hit town in Sichuan province on May 16, 2008. Rescue team members seen in the background continue their search, turning up survivors for nearly a week after the May 12 quake.
A flattened taxi lies crushed under a boulder on a street in Beichuan city, Sichuan Province on May 16, 2008. The city of Beichuan was deemed unsalvageable, and was not to be rebuilt after the quake. It's residents were to be relocated. The Chinese government estimated that the earthquake left some 5 million people homeless.
Motorists on the six-lane Jianguomenwai Avenue in Beijing stand beside their cars to honor the victims of devastating earthquake, on May 19, 2008, a week after the quake struck. The observance was repeated in cities across China. The final count of dead and missing in the disaster was nearly 90,000.
Soldiers tend to Wang Chunbang, a 56-year-old man rescued on May 19 from earthquake debris after being trapped for nearly seven days. Wang was found along with six bodies of victims during the rescue work in a rural area northeast of Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province.
Nine-year-old Xia Xueyin, her face badly bruised from a fall during the earthquake, takes photos of her family's damaged home in Hanwang town of China's southwest Sichuan province Thursday, May 22, 2008. The girl's parents said that they brought her back to her home to see the damage and to look for her belongings to help her cope with the trauma of having experienced the May 12 earthquake.
A Chinese man carries a mattress out of the rubble of Yingxiu town in Wenchuan County of southwest China's Sichuan province on May 27, 2008, two weeks after the earthquake destroyed the town. Yingxiu, with a pre-earthquake population of about 10,000, was the closest town to the epicenter. The town was to be razed and surviving residents relocated to safer areas.
An earthquake survivor rests from searching for personal belongings in his destroyed home in Yinghua, Sichuan province, on May 17, 2008. The government mobilized more than 130,000 troops and relief workers to extend relief operations into the mountains of Sichuan province, while caring for tens of thousands of people made homeless. State media reported that 10 million people were directly affected by the quake.
A mother stands in the rubble of the Fuxin No. 2 Primary School in Wufu, China, holding a picture of her daughter who was killed there when the earthquake caused the school to collapse two weeks earlier. The widespread collapse of schools sparked fury among anguished parents. China's central govenment promised to punish anyone found responsible for poor constuction of schools, but later shut down discussion of the subject, evidently fearing unrest.