This study analyzes the exposure of energy and transport assets in Asia and the Pacific to climate change and earthquake hazards and highlights how multi-hazard assessment can help strengthen the resilience
The death toll from Chi na's most devastating earthquake in three decades has jumped to at least 11,921, a top disaster official said on Tuesday, as storms hampered rescuers in the most devastated areas. The state media reports indicated that the number of dead from the 7.9 magnitude quake was likely to soar. Xinhua news agency said 10,000 people were buried in the Mianzhu area of southwestern Sichuan province alone. Troops had also arrived for the first time at Wenchuan county, the epicentre of the quake.
Torrential rain and powerful aftershocks on Tuesday hampered efforts to rescue victims of an earthquake in China's southwestern Sichuan Province as the death toll rose to nearly 12,000, although the figure is likely to soar as state media said nearly 19,000 were buried under rubble in one city alone. In quake-hit areas accessible by road from the Sichuan capital Chengdu, the official rescue effort was fast and on a massive scale as the government mobilised all its resources to unblock roads and search for survivors.
Earthquake Measuring 7.8 Leaves 8,533 Dead In Sichuan Alone The death toll in Monday's earthquake that devastated parts of southwest China's Sichuan province appeared heading towards a massive figure that might surpass 20,000 people. Till late evening on Monday, official sources confirmed 8,533 deaths in Sichuan alone, but indicated that the situation was so grim that a lot more people may have lost lives.
A major earthquake of 7.8 magnitude ripped through southwest China on Monday afternoon, killing more than 8,700 people and sending shock waves through cities across a large swathe of the country and southeast Asia. The epicentre of the quake was pinpointed at Wenchuan County, some 100 km northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and home to over 12 million people.
Tremors resulting from the huge earthquake in China yesterday, which has claimed more than 10,000 lives, were felt all the way here in Maldives, Department of Meteorology has said. Fathmath Fairooza, a Geological Observer at the Department of Meteorology, said that the effects of the 7.82 magnitude earthquake in China 4300km away was felt in Maldives as a tremor of magnitude 3 on the Richter scale. "The effects of the earthquake were felt in Shanghai in China and Bangkok in Thailand also,' she said. "The tremor was recorded by the sensors at Hanimaadhoo.'
President Hu Jintao on Monday ordered large-scale efforts to help those affected by the earthquake that jolted Wenchuan County of south-west China's Sichuan Province on Monday. Mr. Hu directed local authorities to rescue the injured as soon as possible and to ensure the safety of people in the quake-hit areas. Premier Wen Jiabao flew into Sichuan on Monday to oversee rescue work.
Monday's deadly earthquake occurred on a fault where South Asia pushes against the Eurasian landmass, smashing the Sichuan plain into mountains leading to the Tibetan highlands. Worst affected were four counties including the quake's epicenter in Wenchuan, 60 miles northwest of Chengdu. Landslides left roads impassable Tuesday, causing the government to order soldiers into the area on foot, state television said. Heavy rain prevented four military helicopters from landing.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda sent a message Monday to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao saying that Japan is prepared to offer every support to quake-hit China if necessary, the Foreign Ministry said. In the message conveyed through the Japanese Embassy in China, Fukuda also expressed sympathy over the damage caused by the powerful earthquake in western China, it said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao described a powerful earthquake that struck southwest China on Monday as a "major disaster", and called for calm. "(When) facing (a) disaster, the most important thing is calm, confidence, courage and strong leadership," said Mr Wen, talking to China's CCTV television station on a flight to quake-hit areas. The 7.8-magnitude quake, which hit Wenchuan County in the southwestern province of Sichuan shortly before 2.30 pm, left at least 107 people dead and hundreds injured, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
The European Union offered assistance to China on Monday following the massive earthquake that struck the southwestern province of Sichuan, saying information from the region was "worrying". The European Union was closely monitoring the situation, a statement said, quoting commissioner for development and humanitarian aid Louis Michel. "The initial news from Sichuan is worrying," Mr Michel said. "Actual information is very sketchy but it seems likely that the quake has caused substantial damage over a considerable area, and there are already reports of some loss of life.
