China: 107 dead, 900 students buried in quake

By Matrix | Published: May 12, 2008

Signs of the times: We have pestilence, earthquakes, economic unrest, looming global famine, rising fuel costs, wars and rumors of wars. The one that really gets me going is the famine thing and food shortages in developed countries.

Via CNN.com

At least 107 people died in a major earthquake that rocked central China on Monday — but the total does not include any of the nearly 900 students feared buried in a collapsed high school.

China’s official news agency Xinhua did not say if the buried students were believed to still be alive following the 7.8 magnitude quake.

Xinhua did not detail where the 107 deaths occured, although it reported earlier that four students were killed and 110 hurt when a middle school building collapsed in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of the epicenter.

Another person was killed when a water tower fell in the city of Mianyang, the news agency reported.

A provincial government spokesman said they feared more dead and injured in collapsed houses in Dujiangyan City in Wenchuan County, Xinhua reported.

The news agency also quoted a driver for the seismological bureau saying he saw “rows of houses collapsed” in Dujiangyan.

Chinese President Hu Jintao immediately ordered an all-out effort to help victims of the earthquakes, Xinhua reported. It said Premier Wen Jiabao would go there to direct the rescue work.