An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale rocked southwest China's Sichuan Province and was felt in many other provinces on Monday afternoon, causing chaos in many schools across the country.
SICHUAN PROVINCE
-- In Dujiangyan, the city that neighbors the epicenter of Wenchuan county, 900 children of Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan township were feared buried in the quake. As of 3 a.m. on Tuesday, rescuers had recovered more than 60 bodies;
-- At least 1,000 students and teachers were dead or missing when the main building of Beichuan Middle School in Mianyang City collapsed. Beichuan is about 160 kilometers northeast of the Wenchuan;
-- At least 200 school children were buried when two schools affiliated to a steam turbine factory in Hanwang Township of Mianzhu, 30 kilometers to the epicenter Wenchuan, toppled in the quake.
-- Several other schools have collapsed in Deyang City and Aba Prefecture, near the epicenter. An exact headcount of casualties is not immediately available.
CHONGQING MUNICIPALITY
-- Five primary school children were confirmed dead and more than 100 were injured when two schools toppled in Chongqing's outer Liangping County
SHAANXI PROVINCE
-- Stampedes were reported in two middle schools in Xianyang, close to Shaanxi's capital Xi'an, when students were evacuated from their classrooms. Thirty teenagers were injured in Lingyuan Middle School of Qianxian County and another six injuries were reported at Xiwu Middle School in Xingping County.
GUIZHOU PROVINCE
-- Sixteen primary school students were injured in Puding County of Guizhou, when crowds of children were evacuated from the classroom. Some residential and school buildings have collapsed in the southwestern province, but no death has been reported so far.
(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)