Monday, May 12, 2008

7.8 Earthquake hits Sichuan Province in China

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit China's Sichuan province killing with death toll so far at 8600 and the number could be higher as rescuers reach more places, reports NPR. This happened in the afternoon around 2:30pm and many students were still in their classes.

US President Bush was quoted on CNN, "[US] stands ready to help in any way possible. . . . I am particularly saddened by the number of students and children affected by this tragedy." Japan, Britain, and other governments around the world have offered to help.

Wenchuan was the epicenter of the quake. It is also a key research center for the panda. Xinhua reported Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao flew to Sichuan to direct the rescue effort. He was quoted saying, "My fellow Chinese, facing such a severe disaster, we need calm, confidence, courage and efficient organization." 24,000 PLA troops have been sent to help with 10,000 more on the way.

BBC also carried a report and said:
"The BBC's Quentin Somerville says this is probably the most significant natural disaster to hit China in recent memory, but that the Chinese army has a good record of mobilising and getting people to safety. "
We also like our readers to pay attention to the level of support China gets from around the world in coping with this disaster. From the recent flurry of anti-Western media feelings, it is easy to forget that Western governments and citizens do care.

If you wish to donate to the Chinese Red Cross, following are relevant details:

Address: Beijing, China,100007

Tel number: 86-10-65139999

Fax number: 86-10-64060566

Beneficiary's bank: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Beijing Branch

Swift code: icbkcnbjbjm

Chips uid: 319913

RMB account number: 0200001009014413252

Website: http://www.redcross.org.cn/

E-mail: Rcsc@chineseredcross.org.cn

2 comments:

the Chinese Century said...

Additional information for donations by a Haogen Yao (Facebook) (Michigan State University)

From MITBBS:http://www.mitbbs.com/article_t/ChinaNews/31472620.html Summary:
1. www.redcross.org.cn点击捐款热线栏目进行在线捐款。(Sometimes not working),Orhttp://202.108.59.10/wsjz/wsjz.aspto reach the donation site directly.
2. http://www.one-foundation.com/html/en/beneficence_01.htm , Jet Lee's Onedonation, both Paypal and Credit Card
3. https://www.redcross.org.hk/donation/user_donation.asp , Choose Chinarelief & development.

BY FAR ONLY ONEDONATION CAN BE ENTERED EASILY COZ TOO MANY VISITS IN THOSE WEBSITES AT THIS MOMENT

the Chinese Century said...

The HongKong Red Cross' web site is still up. The one in mainland China has been down.

https://www.redcross.org.hk/donation/user_donation.asp?langId=2