China Earthquake Photos/Video

China Earthquake Photos

Rescuers search for victims in the debris of a hospital after the earthquake in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive (7.9) earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 (maybe over 10,000) people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo/Color China Photo)

Nothing too disturbing in the above photo essay. These photos were largely supplied by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, via AP.

It death toll is now reported to be over 10,000. The quake has now been rated as a 7.9 on the Richter Scale. This is huge. Note that an 8.0 is not 10% stronger than a 7.0, it is 10 times stronger.

Reports say that there were more that 30 earthquakes in the region over the first 24 hours after the big one. All of those quakes were magnitude 4.0 or above.

Rescuers have only just arrived at the first quake's epicenter. Blocked roads and mudslides forced rescue workers to walk to the site.

Here's a page with some videos. (CNN)

Death toll rises in China quake (BBC)

More updates as they arrive.

Update:

Check this out. Crazy.



milubear:

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake shook Wenchuan County, Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China at 14:28:04 local time (06:28:04 GMT). It had a magnitude of 7.8 Mw according to the State Seismological Bureau of China and United States Geological Survey. The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, where office buildings swayed with the impact and Vietnam capital Hanoi.The closest major city from the earthquake's epicenter is Chengdu.

The epicenter was at 31.084°N, 103.267°E, in Wenchuan County, Ngawa Prefecture, 90 km northwest of Chengdu, Sichuan, China, with its main tremor so far occurring at 14:28:04 local time (06:28:04 am GMT) on Monday 12 May 2008. Early reports of the earthquake's Richter scale magnitude ranged from 7.6 to 8.0. Five major aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.0 to 6.0 were recorded within two hours of the main tremor.

Office workers in Chengdu reported a "continuous shaking for about two or three minutes", with many people rushing outside.

via Cynical-C