Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Rainbow Light]

Storms hamper rescue as China quake toll nears 12,000
By Ben Blanchard Reuters - Tuesday, May 13 11:21 amDUJIANGYAN, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China's most devastating earthquake in three decades has jumped to at least 11,921, a top disaster official said on Tuesday, as storms hampered rescuers in the most devastated areas.

State media reports indicated that the number of dead from the 7.9 magnitude quake was likely to soar.

Xinhua news agency said 10,000 people were buried in the Mianzhu area of south-western Sichuan province alone. Troops had also arrived for the first time at Wenchuan county, the epicentre of the quake.

"The death toll from this disaster has already reached 11,921," Wang Zhenyao, disaster relief chief under the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told reporters.

"The first priority is to save people... As long as there is the slightest hope, we will try to save them," Wang said, adding that the biggest threat to life was now mudslides.

It was not immediately clear whether Wang's toll was confined to Sichuan province. Hundreds more have perished in neighbouring provinces.

A strong aftershock rocked Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, on Tuesday afternoon, one of more than 1,950 over the past day and keeping nervous residents on edge.

"Office workers in downtown Chengdu took to the streets again after the quake," Xinhua said, adding it was thought to be the strongest since Monday's tremor.

An official from China's seismological bureau official said more strong aftershocks could still hit Sichuan, Xinhua said, as hotels in Chengdu told guests to stay on lower floors.

Heavy storms and wrecked roads hampered efforts to reach areas hardest-hit by China's worst earthquake in three decades on Tuesday.

Premier Wen Jiabao, visiting Sichuan, ordered troops to clear roads to Wenchuan, a hilly area about 100 km (62 miles) from Chengdu.

Damage from Monday's quake left the area, about 1,600 km southwest of Beijing, completely cut off.

And rain and thick clouds over a province famous for its giant panda reserves meant that military helicopters sent to the area could not yet land.

State television showed highways buckled and caved in from the quake and massive rockslides lining the roads.

BODIES IN STREETS

In Dujiangyan -- about midway between Chengdu and the epicentre -- there was devastation, with buildings reduced to rubble and bodies in the streets.

Troops and ambulances thronged the streets, and military trucks able to do heavy lifting had arrived. But many residents simply stood beside their wrecked homes, cradling possessions in their arms. Others huddled in relief tents under heavy rain.

"At least 60 or 70 old people lived there, as well as children," said a hospital worker surnamed Huo, gesturing to a building in ruins. Mattresses and household objects could be seen poking through the rubble.

"How could they survive that?" she asked.

Rescuers had worked frantically through the night, pulling bodies from homes, schools, factories and hospitals demolished by the quake, which rolled from Sichuan across much of China and was felt as far away as Bangkok and Hanoi.

In Dujiangyan, about 900 teenagers were buried under a collapsed three-storey school building. Premier Wen bowed three times in grief before some of the first 50 bodies pulled out, Xinhua reported.

"Not one minute can be wasted," said Wen, a trained geologist. "One minute, one second could mean a child's life."

Frantic relatives tried to push past a line of soldiers surrounding the school, desperate for news of their children.

"We're still pulling out people alive, but many, many have died," said one medical worker.

At a second school in Dujiangyan, fewer than 100 of 420 students survived, Xinhua reported.

The initial tremor was followed by a series of aftershocks, which shook the area through the night. "Some are still very strong," said a Dujiangyan resident. "We have put up tents outside to sleep in."

A group of about 15 British tourists were out of reach near the epicentre, likely in Wolong a panda reserve whose phone lines were cut by the quake, Xinhua reported. China said that there had been no reports of foreign casualties as of midday (5 a.m. British time).

"TIME IS LIFE"

China's benchmark stock index ended down on Tuesday and trading in the shares of 66 companies was suspended.

However, analysts said they did not expect a major economic impact from the disaster, though it could mean supply shortages that fuel inflation, already at a near 12-year high.

China's largest life insurer, China Life, said it expects claims for the quake to far exceed those for freak snowstorms that hit the country early this year.

China's Communist Party leadership announced that coping with the quake's aftermath and ensuring that it did not threaten social stability were the government's priorities.

But bloggers wondered about the quality of construction and why so many school buildings were reduced to rubble.

Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, accused by Beijing of involvement in deadly riots in the Tibetan capital in March, expressed his concern and offered his condolences to quake victims.

The United Nations said it was ready to support China in its efforts to respond to the disaster, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said.

China on Tuesday welcomed offers of international aid and said it was moved by the show of support.

The Sichuan quake was the worst to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan tremor in north-eastern China where up to 300,000 died. Then, unlike now, the Communist Party kept a tight lid on information about the extent of the disaster.

Neighbouring areas of Sichuan were also affected, with 213 reported dead in the north-western province of Gansu, 92 in Shaanxi province and school collapses in the municipality of Chongqing.

[MaryInTheMorning]

What a heartbreaking and devastating situation. All involved will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers dear Sue.

[Rainbow Light]

It certainly is, dear Mari and thanks for your thoughts and prayers, I am sure they will most definitely be appreciated! I can report that some people have been found alive since but it's still such a widespread disaster.

[MaryInTheMorning]

Thank God at least some people have been found alive. My thoughts and prayers still continue to go out to all of them. Hoping and praying for more survivors to be found.

[Rainbow Light]

Thank you, dear Mari!

[Ka´rala]

They are in my prayers, sweet Sue....

Can I ask you, sweet Ladies... in the coming days, to make calls specifically for these souls that have perished in these disasters in China and Burma... to be cut free to follow the angels of light who have come to escort them to their proper places... THANK YOU, my angels... I´m very gratefull... and LOVE you very much...



In the name of the I AM THAT I AM, Jesus Christ, I call to you beloved SHIVA to manifest your flaming Presence to cut free all souls who have left embodiment in this disaster in China and Burma.
Cut them free from all attachments to their former lives and their physical bodies. Cut them free to see the light of God and to follow the angels into that LIGHT...



OM MANI PADME HUM—SHIVA!



HAIL MARY, ONE WITH GRACE—SHIVA!

LOVE
Carola

[Rainbow Light]

Can I ask you, sweet Ladies... in the coming days, to make calls specifically for these souls that have perished in these disasters in China and Burma... to be cut free to follow the angels of light who have come to escort them to their proper places...

Certainly, dear Ka'rala! These poor souls have been through so very much and need to be cut free and released into the beautiful Light!

Thank you for your beautiful pictures you have posted for us also!

[Rainbow Light]

At a glance: MyanmarLatest

Cyclone-affected children heading back to school in Myanmar

© UNICEF Myanmar/2008
Cyclone-affected children find a supportive environment at a child-friendly space in Myanmar.
By Angela Thaung

YANGON, Myanmar, 27 May 2008 – As many cyclone-affected children are preparing to head back to school next week, UNICEF and its partners have been distributing essential school supplies by everything from truck to boat.

The Government of Myanmar aims to reopen schools in some cyclone-affected areas by 2 June. UNICEF has already distributed roofing sheets as well as School-in-a-Box and recreational kits to 23 primary schools in Kawhmu township, Yangon Division.

“I want to go back to school, because I want to be an educated person,” said Kyaw Thu Shein, 12.

Determined to resume classes

Before the cyclone hit, the primary school in Ye Phyu Twin village had three buildings. Now, one building has completely collapsed and the other two have lost their roofs.

The principal of Ye Phyu Twin's school, Than Than Htay, is determined to resume classes. She understands that bringing normalcy back to the lives of the children in her village is very important.


© UNICEF Myanmar/2008
UNICEF-supplied School-in-a-Box kits, recreational kits and roofing sheets arrive in Ye Phyu Twin village, Yangon Division, where two school buildings lost their roofs and one building completely collapsed.
“With the support of UNICEF to repair the school in time for reopening and reducing the cost of schooling for families, I am confident that I can encourage parents to send their children back to school,” said Ms. Htay.

More aid needed

Within the past two weeks, primary schools have received supplies and recreational kits as part of UNICEF’s rapid response to the cyclone. Other supplies such as furniture are still needed, however. Repairing school sanitation facilities is also a priority.

The Parent Teachers Association in Ye Phyu Twin village is not in a position to help the reconstruction of the middle school this year, but the principal there intends to reuse the scrap wood and roofing materials to build a small library.

However, there is still the fear that not all children will be able to get an education.

“As most families are in dire hardship, some children will most likely drop out of school in order to help their families,” said Ms. Htay.