Sichuan earthquake

The Sichuan earthquake was a 8.0 Richter Scale earthquake occurred at 2:28 PM on May 12, 2008 in southwest China. It is also known as the Wenchuan earthquake after the location of the earthquake's epicenter, Wenchuan (population 111,800) , 90 km northwest of Sichuan's capital Chengdu.

The epicenter of the quake was located 31.0 degrees north latitude and 103.4 degrees east longitude.

It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people.

Government Data

Executive vice governor Wei Hong confirmed on November 21, 2008 that 19,065 identified schoolchildren died, and more than 90,000 people in total were dead or missing in the earthquake. He stated that 200,000 homes had been rebuilt, and 685,000 were under reconstruction, but 1.94 million households were still without permanent shelter. 1,300 schools had been reconstructed, with initial relocation of 25 townships, including Beichuan and Wenchuan, two of the most devastated areas. The government spent $441 billion dollars on relief and reconstruction efforts.

Rescue efforts

Premier Wen Jiabao arrived at Dujiangyan, a city northwest of the provincial capital Chengdu on May 12, and started to oversee disaster relief work. The city was less than 100 kilometers from the quake's epicenter at Wenchuan County.