As the country mourns its victims, a look at the destruction

At 2:28pm on Monday, May 19, 2008, exactly one week after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake rocked China's western Sichuan Province, the biggest country on earth came to a halt. Motorists honked, trains and ships sounded their horns, and this nation of more than 1 billion people paused to remember the victims of the devastating quake, whose numbers continued to rise. The official death toll on Monday stood at 34,073, but another 40,000 were thought to be missing or buried. And while rescuers were scrambling closer and closer to the epicenter of the quake, which had been cut off by massive landslides, weather forecasters were warning that heavy rain could impede their progress and perhaps cause dozens of reservoirs to overflow. The day's moment of silence was a remarkable display of solidarity in a country where mass displays are usually frowned upon. It was also a moment of quiet foreboding, for tragedies that may yet unfold.

 
 
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Member Comments

  • Posted By: freemindo @ 06/02/2008 4:54:51 AM

    The Chinese are not only individuals of week souls who could only drop tears for their losses . They will rise up against any hardships. I've visited such sites and talked with them. They were really a courageous sight to see.

  • Posted By: happy gardener @ 05/31/2008 7:51:30 AM

    Issue 26 May ' 08 re: centerfold photo pgs.20/21 'China's Tears'
    I cannot recall ,in my 71yrs., a photo so powerful. I am so struck by this image that I am drawn to study it for long periods of time. In my humble opinion, this image is worthy of acclaim in the world of photo journalism.
    .............happy gardener.......





    happy gardener

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