China

Rescue crews search for chopper carrying quake survivors

Article published on the 2008-06-02 Latest update 2008-06-02 06:05 TU

A devastated area of Sichuan province
(Photo: Reuters)

Thousands of soldiers searched for a helicopter around the Zhaogong Mountain area of the quake-affected region of China on Monday, after reports that it had crashed. The chopper was in the process of bringing quake survivors who were too injured to move back to Li county, after delivering epidemic prevention experts.

Fatigue could have been a factor in the crash, as Chinese military chopper crews have been stretched to the limit, carrying out 63 flights since the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province on 12 May.

Chinese authorities report 69,016 dead so far with 18,830 missing.

Children's Day in China was celebrated soberly Sunday, as estimated 11,000 of the dead are children who were buried in the rubble after their shoddily-constructed schools collapsed during the earthquake.