China

Death toll reaches 28,000 after quake

Article published on the 2008-05-17 Latest update 2008-05-18 12:04 TU

A map showing the locations affected by the Earthquake on 12 May 2008.
(Photo : NASA)

The Chinese government said on Saturday that the confirmed death toll after last week's earthquake had reached 28,881. But the final death toll is expected to be much higher with the city of Deyang alone expecting a final death-toll of 20,000 casualties.

Rescue efforts still however as rescuers continue to unearth people from the rubble of last week's quake which measured 7.9 in magnitude. A woman was found alive today after 124 hours under the rubble. She was just one of five people recovered on Saturday.

These rescues took place despite the pessimism of experts who consider there to be a very slim chance of survival 72 hours after the initial quake.

Fears of flooding pushed authorities to start evacuating more than 2,000 people on Saturday. The Quingzhu River was filled after the earthquake set off landslides. If the water level rises by more than several metres it could cause flooding over distances of 40 kilometres.

Another concern is the possibility of the outbreak of disease. Almost five million people lost their homes in the earthquake and access to clean water is threatened. Some12.5 million livestock and poultry were killed by the earthquake and the carcasses are posing a major health risk.

The Agriculture Ministry said avian influenza and rabies were a risk while the World Health Organisation said a supply of fresh water and safety and sanitation were essential if epidemics were to be avoided.