What's in it for FinTech startups in events like Biban24    Al Nassr and Al Hilal share points in intense Riyadh Derby draw    SFDA chief discusses investment opportunities in food and pharmaceutical sectors with Chinese companies    Riyadh's Sports Boulevard receives Platinum ActiveScore certifications    ImpaQ: Riyadh to host first Impact Makers Forum in December    Saudi Arabia ranks 12th globally in international visitor spending in 2023    Saudi Red Crescent air ambulance rescues injured camel herder in Qassim desert    Saudi Arabia refutes claims of rising worker fatalities, highlighting low work-related death rates    US says around 8,000 troops from North Korea are stationed in Russia's Kursk region    Spain mourns as death toll passes 150 in catastrophic floods    Seven killed in Israel in deadliest Hezbollah rocket strikes in months    Rapper Young Thug released from US jail after guilty plea on gang charges    Cyclists on phones face jail under Japan's new traffic laws    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    Saleh Al Shehri strike seals Al Ittihad's Sea Derby win over Al Ahli    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Toppled buildings in China quake raise questions
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 11 - 03 - 2011

Akhir 06 , 1432 H. / March 11, 2011 -- A moderately strong earthquake that left 25 dead in southwestern China displaced nearly half the county's people and raised questions among experts Friday about whether structures had been built to code, according to AP.
More than 3,600 houses were destroyed and 11,300 badly damaged after Thursday's earthquake struck a mountainous area in Yunnan province, near the border with Myanmar, the Civil Affairs Ministry said on its website. Parts of a supermarket and a hotel also buckled and fell.
More than 127,000 of Yingjiang county's 300,000 people have been displaced by the temblor which Chinese authorities measured at a magnitude 5.8.
Search efforts continued Friday but the chances of finding more people alive were shrinking, said Jin Guangwei, an official from the Yunnan disaster relief center. Officials were now focusing on treating the injured, relocating survivors and distributing relief materials, he said.
«Many of the buildings in the area were constructed with low earthquake resistance and so they fell easily,» Jin said.
Unsafe construction is a chronic problem in China and is often blamed on poor planning, shoddy work or the theft of materials. The deaths of many students whose schools collapsed during a catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008 triggered complaints from parents and others who accused builders of cutting corners to increase profits.
The Civil Affairs Ministry said 25 people were killed in Yingjiang, while another 250 people were injured _ 134 of them seriously. The official Xinhua News Agency said the central government has allocated 55 million yuan ($8.4 million) to the region for quake relief.
Survivors spent the night in tents while seven aftershocks measuring up to 4.7 in magnitude shook the town, state media reported. CCTV showed people eating meals cooked in large pots over portable stoves in the morning next to tents set up in a public square.
The buildings in Yingjiang, in quake-prone Yunnan, should have been constructed to resist earthquakes much stronger than Thursday's, said Wang Yayong, a chief engineering adviser at the Chinese Academy of Building Research in Beijing.
If the seismic building codes had been strictly followed, «or if they had made any conscious effort at all to strengthen the houses, then the houses should not have just collapsed like that,» Wang said.
However, Wang also noted that the shallow depth of the quake, which struck from six miles (10 kilometers) below the surface, did exacerbate its impact. «It means that the earthquake is very close and has catastrophic impact on the ground.»
Many of the injured were being treated by medical staff on a basketball court outside Yingjiang county's overcrowded hospital, CCTV footage showed. People with bandaged heads sat in chairs and were hooked up to intravenous drips, while others lay on blankets on the ground.
There was no word Friday from authorities across the border in Myanmar.
The Myanmar Meteorological Department released a statement Thursday saying a quake had hit 230 miles (370 kilometers) northeast of Mandalay. The statement did not mention injuries or damage. Authorities in the tightly ruled country tend not to immediately discuss the effects of natural disasters.
More than 1,000 soldiers have been sent to aid in rescue efforts while thousands of tents, quilts and coats were being sent from the central government, state media said.
Xinhua said the quake-prone region has been hit by more than 1,000 minor tremors over the past two months.


Clic here to read the story from its source.