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Chengdu Earthquake Felt In Beijing

Beichuan county, close to the epicentre.

Casualty figures for Sichuan epicentre not good. Reports coming out that some schools near the disaster area had collapsed.

By Citizen Correspondent Alvin Wong

Date Posted: 05/12/08

Reader Rating:

Editor's Note: At least 8,500 people in China's south-western Sichuan province have been killed in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck at 2:30 p.m. local time. The epicentre of the earthquake was about 57 miles from Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital, but as this eyewitness reports, the quake could be felt as far away as Beijing.

Robina called me frantically that the building was swaying. She grabbed Sally and ran out. Sally is still panting from the excitement. All the people from our apartment building came downstairs. Nearby office buildings were evacuated. Bemused office workers and construction workers were all out on the street. Even kids in the nearby shopping mall skating ring were all out!

All these felt like the 3.3 scale earthquake we went through in Taipei on 31 Mar 2002! Our Taipei survival training helped.

Update: more good news. China Earthquake Bureau (from sina.com) cautions that there might be 2-6 Richter scale after shocks experiences in Beijing area from 2200-0000 hrs this evening. The tremors this afternoon around 14:30 hrs were just Richter 2. Good luck!

Update 2: Chinese official media is now discrediting earlier reports of after shocks predicted for Beijing area tonight. Casualty figures for Sichuan epicentre not good. Reports coming out that some schools near the disaster area had collapsed.

*****
Originally posted on Alvin's Spiel

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Re: Chendu Earthquake Felt In Beijing

By alvinwong, May 12, 2008 at 18:13

UDPATE:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/photo/2008-05/13/content_8157149.htm

as of 12 May 2000hrs local time, 50 bodies were recovered from the collapsed school. rescue work continues. does not look good at this point, other reports suggested that 900 students from this school were trapped in the rubble.