Great Sichuan Earthquake May 2008

Thousands of People Killed and Millions Left Homeless in China

Mar 19, 2009

A two-minute earthquake in the Dragon's Gate Mountains in Western China near the eastern edge of Tibet, sent shock waves as far away as Russia, India and Pakistan.

On May 12, 2008 at 2: 28pm, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck the eastern area of Sichuan Province in China. The epicenter was located 50 miles northwest of the capital city of Chengdu.

The earthquake area occurred in the northern section of the Beichuan Fault at the junction of the Sichuan Basin and the Longmen Shan, also known as the Dragon’s Gate Mountains. These mountains are steeper than the Himalayas and are located where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

Damage Caused by the Great Sichuan Earthquake

The worst damage occurred in Beichuan County, which was located very close to the epicenter. Although it is a rural area, the earthquake crumbled almost 80% of the buildings that once stood in small cities and towns in the hilly countryside. As a result, thousands of people were killed and injured.

In Wenchuan County, a three-story school building collapsed in Dujiangyan City where 900 students were killed or trapped. In Deyang City, five schools collapsed and killed hundreds of students.

Two chemical plants were leveled in Shifang City and hundreds of workers were trapped. Almost 90 tons of ammonia leaked out.

Communication and power lines were knocked down. Many roads and railways were made impassible due to landslides and rock falls. Several buildings were buried under walls of fallen rock.

A landslide at Qingchuan buried approximately 700 people. Several rivers were blocked and thousands of people were threatened if the blockages gave way. Over 2,000 dams were damaged and thousands of feet of water pipeline were destroyed.

Within 72 hours of the earthquake, there were almost 100 aftershocks ranging from 4.0 to 6.1 in magnitude. These tremors continued for at least six months afterward.

Aftermath of the Great Sichuan Earthquake

According to the US Geological Survey, “At least 69,195 people killed, 374,177 injured and 18,392 missing. More than 45.5 million people were affected. At least 15 million people were evacuated. More than 5 million left homeless. Estimated 5.36 million buildings collapsed. More than 21 million buildings were damaged. Total economic loss estimated at $86 billion US.”

Rescue operations began immediately with financial aid and volunteers arriving from all over the world. Due to the mountainous terrain and the blockage of roads, delivery of supplies and emergency assistance was done by airplane and helicopter.

On May 19, 2008, a three-day national period of mourning was declared. People mourned for the earthquake victims at Tiananmen Square, Beijing, with the flag at half-mast. This was the first time a mourning period was declared for an occasion other than the death of a state leader.