China Esquire

The Shanghaiist posted where the Chinese Red Cross is taking donations and constantly updating the blog with developments. It is also getting thoroughly hammered right now, so I wanted to post this information for all readers.

(I have a separate post that details many charitable organizations, and it is being updated regularly. Please click here if you are looking for other ways to donate to the relief efforts.)

I wanted to help people figure out what was going on with the quake. The Shanghaiist had started a separate post for the aftershocks that have occurred since the main earthquake. Here it is:

A second earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale has hit Sichuan province, 24 hours after a 7.9 earthquake struck Wenchuan, 92km northwest of Chengdu. A quake of 5.0 magnitude was measured this morning at 7:19am at the epicentre and this afternoon at 15:07pm a 6.1 magnitude quake hit, hampering the ongoing rescue efforts in the region.

Latest estimates put the possible death toll at more than 10,000 although this figure looks set to rise given the remoteness of some of the areas hit. In the worst effected areas, numerous buildings have collapsed trapping people under the rubble. The mountainous terrain, as well as landslides and poor weather, are hampering the efforts of relief services to get to those in need. The Chinese Red Cross has appealed for donations to help with rescue efforts. Japan, Russia, Taiwan, and Germany have been amongst those who have offered assistance while the Li Ka Shing foundation has donated 30 million RMB and Carrefour 2 million RMB.

In Chengdu and Chongqing, numerous buildings were evacuated and people flooded the streets, with many unsure exactly what was happening. Fearing aftershocks and further earthquakes, some residents have spent the night in their cars or out in the open.

CCTV have just broadcast a live press conference from the State Council. In response to a question about official warnings on the internet before the earthquake hit, one official said, “Such speculation is unreasonable.”

UPDATE 1, 5:40PM Pictures of the earthquake devastation from the BBC and Yahoo.
More graphic pictures here. (WARNING: Some of the pictures are graphic in nature!)

UPDATE 2, 6:00PM The Times (UK) reports that 10,000 are dead while another 10,000 are feared missing or buried in the rubble. The Guardian has an interview with reporter Tania Branigan who describes the scene at the earthquake zone, “through the streets you see these enormous piles where buildings have collapsed”

UPDATE 3, 6:05PM The Times just revised those numbers to 12,000 dead, 5,000 more buried. APA say 60,000 are missing.

UPDATE 4, 7:30PM For you Beijingists: Sichuan Earthquake Benefit Concert, Mao Live House, Gulou Dong Dajie, BJ. Wed May 14th 8pm. 50RMB

UPDATE 5, 8:00PM The Guardian now has a video and a full written report from Tania Branigan who (as we mentioned earlier) is at the earthquake zone. She writes that many people’s anguish is quickly turning to anger, quoting one resident of Dujiangyan (where a school building has collapsed) as saying:

“These buildings outside have been here for 20 years and didn’t collapse – the school was only 10 years old. [Government officials] took the money from investment, so they took the lives of hundreds of kids. They have money for prostitutes and second wives but they don’t have money for our children. This is not a natural disaster – this is done by humans.”

UPDATE 6, 7:26AM The BBC is reporting that a group of 31 British tourists have turned up safe and well in Chengdu following a trip to the Wolong Panda Reserve. It is still unclear if this group is the same as the group of 19 British tourists previously reported missing in the area

UPDATE 7, 7:40AM Rescue teams have finally made it through to the epicentre of the earthquake this morning. The BBC reports that a few hundred soldiers and police have managed to get to the area despite adverse weather conditions and broken roads. “They found 500 bodies within a few hours – but have still not searched many devastated areas”. The report states that an estimated 60,000 people are still missing

UPDATE 8, 8:04AM The NY Times is saying that, despite protests from people within China and calls for it to be temporarily halted, the Olympic Torch relay will continue. It will, however, be scaled down according to a statement from the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games:

“As the entire nation directs efforts to the common purpose of helping the region recover from the disaster, BOCOG has decided, after consultations with Jiangxi and other provinces, that beginning with the relay in Jiangxi Province, it will simplify procedures, emphasize simplicity and efficiency while putting safety first during the relay. And prior to the start of the torch relay, all relay participants will observe one minute of silence to extend condolences to the victims of the tragedy. Donation boxes will be set up at the starting and finishing points and along the torch relay route to encourage people to help with the relief work.”

ADDED (5/15): Shanghaiist reports this positive news: Foreign workers have been allowed into the earthquake zone in this post:

UPDATE, 18:09 The first Japanese relief workers are expected to leave tonight. A group of 60 earthquake specialists together with sniffer dogs will head to Sichuan over the next few days. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has appealed for earth-moving equipment to aid rescue efforts in the region. Many relief workers are currently sifting through the rubble with their hands according to ABC News. The latest official death toll stands at 19,500 but is expected to rise sharply over the coming days.

ADDED (5/15): There is also a post that there are still fears that dams and nuclear sites may be damaged:

As we told you earlier, there had been very real fears that the Zipingba Dam, 6 miles upstream from the devastated city of Dujiangyan, was displaying “extremely dangerous” cracks. The People’s Daily is now reporting that the dam is “structurally stable and safe” following a full inspection.

Nevertheless, despite official reassurances, fears persist over other dam projects in the area with The Associated Press still reporting that hundreds of structures could be at risk.

“The National Development Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning body, said the earthquake had damaged 391 dams. It said two of the dams were large ones, 28 were medium-sized and the rest were small ones.”

Landslides have reportedly caused rivers to be blocked in Qingchuan County, creating an enormous lake, with Xinhua quoting Li Hao, the county’s Communist Party chief, as saying: “The rising water could cause the mountains to collapse. We desperately need geological experts to carry out tests and fix a rescue plan”. As the International Herald Tribune points out, “much depends on efforts to reduce the menacing pressure of water behind the dam walls”, if further disaster is to be averted.

ADDED (5/16): The Shanghaiist has slowed its updates on the quake, but CNN and Xinhua have not. Here is the latest from CNN:

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said Friday that a devastating earthquake in southwest China destroyed or heavily damaged 436,000 properties leading to 4.8 million homeless, according to official figures.

The suffering of Sichuan’s inhabitants has been prolonged by repeated aftershocks, some 4,400 since the quake hit, according to Baodong.

The latest aftershock hit quake-damaged areas Friday, triggering landslides, blocking roads, knocking out phone lines and burying vehicles, state-run media reported.

The 5.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Sichuan shortly after President Hu Jintao arrived in the quake zone to get a first-hand look at the devastated region.

As frantic search-and-rescue efforts entered a fifth day, the official death toll issued by authorities in Sichuan Province now stood at 22,069, with 14,000 still buried, 159,000 injured and 4.8 million homeless, according to China’s Xinhua state news agency. China’s state council said Thursday that the number of dead could eventually top 50,000.

I had to highlight the numbers… this is a breathtaking amount of destruction.

ADDED (5/17): CNN reports:

Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims and rescuers are fleeing areas near the epicenter over fears of floods from a river blocked by landslides.

The stampede of thousands of people on Saturday afternoon came as Chinese officials said the official death toll from the earthquake had risen to 28,881 people with 198,347 injured.

ADDED (5/17): CNN reports the following shocking admission:

China’s State Council says the number of deaths could top 50,000.

***I am going to close this thread. There is a wealth of information on the internet and Shanghaiist has been working just fine.***

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