Sichuan Earthquake (2008)

On May 12, 2008, a major earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, in China's Sichuan Province at 2:28 P.M. Nearly 70,000 people died, and 375,000 others were injured, according to the official government of China (GOC) figures; and 46.2 million people in a 440,000-square-kilometer area, which included 417 counties, 4,656 townships, and 47,789 villages, were affected by the earthquake, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Immediately after the earthquake struck, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived at the disaster scene to lead the coordination of emergency response ordered by resident Hu Jintao. Within a few hours after the earthquake, local disaster centers and a national network became involved in disaster response. Prime Minister Jiabao set up national disaster ...