Leader admits quake dead could top 80,000

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-25  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE death toll from the May 12 earthquake in southwest China was expected to exceed 80,000, Vice Premier Hui Liangyu said yesterday.

It was the first official acknowledgement that many still listed as missing are dead.

By noon Monday, 69,181 had been confirmed dead, with 374,171 injured and 18,498 listed as missing, Hui said in a report on relief and reconstruction at the opening of the third session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

"Quite a large number of those missing may have died," he said.

"The May 12 earthquake epicentered in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, was the most destructive earthquake which affected the widest area and posed the biggest challenge to rescue operations, since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949," Hui said.

The vice premier admitted the disaster-relief work had been arduous.

He said the quake had affected 47,789 villages, with a total disaster zone of 440,000 square kilometers. It had affected 46.24 million people.

Since the main quake, 13,685 aftershocks has been detected, with five measuring above 6.0 on the Richter scale, 28 ranging from 5.0 to 5.9 and 189 from 4.0 to 4.9.

Hui said the relief work was difficult because most of the worst-hit areas were in mountains or deep valleys. The destruction of roads and communication links had also prevented rescue staff and facilities getting into the quake zone quickly.

He said 7.79 million houses had collapsed, with another 24.59 million damaged. The county seat of Beichuan and Yingxiu Township had been almost leveled, he said.

The quake had cut 16 major arteries and six railways and paralyzed power supply, telecom and water supply in large areas.

Secondary disasters had caused further damage, with frequent landslides and mud-rock flows. Landslides had blocked rivers and formed 35 quake lakes, with dangers of various degrees reported in 2,473 reservoirs, he said.