A massive earthquake struck central China, killing more than 50,000 people and burying alive another 20,000. Government officials issued a rare public appeal for rescue workers and equipment following the quake, which registered 7.9 on the Richter scale.
In spite of all the death and destruction, there were stories of survival that kept hope alive. In the devastated town of Dujiangyan, an all-night search through debris saved a 62-year-old man trapped under his collapsed house. Rescuers and bystanders cheered and took photos with their cell phones as the man was extracted from the rubble. Nearby a 22-year-old woman was pulled to safety after being buried for three long nights. Her rescue was broadcast and cheered on state television. "I was confident that you were coming to rescue me. I’m alive. I’m so happy," the unnamed woman said.
But by Thursday, officials started shifting from search-and-rescue to body recovery.
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A 5.2-magnitude earthquake centered in southern Illinois shook the Midwest early Friday, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a powerful temblor. I woke up to a shaking bed, and my house shook and dishes rattled for about 30 seconds. At left is an official seismograph of the quake.
The earthquake was one of the strongest ever recorded in Illinois and occurred just before 4:37 a.m. It was centered six miles southeast of West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles west of Evansville, Ind. There was minor damage and no injuries reported.
The quake shook skyscrapers in Chicago, 230 miles north of the epicenter, and in downtown Indianapolis, about 160 miles northeast of the epicenter. In Louisville, the quake caused bricks to fall off part of a building near downtown.
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Scientists predict there is a 99.7% chance that California will be struck by a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger in the next 30 years. The last time a quake this size rattled California was the 1994 Northridge disaster, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, killed 72 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused $25 billion in damage.
“It basically guarantees it’s going to happen,” said Ned Field, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena and lead author of the report.
California sits in one of the most seismically active regions in the world. More than 300 faults crisscross the state, and about 10,000 quakes each year rattle Southern California alone, although most of them are too small to be felt.
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In spite of all our differences, the one thing that binds all living creatures is that we each have an expiration date. This finality to our existence is what makes life special, something to be cherished and protected. But occasionally things can go terribly wrong…
