Inside China Today

More truths revealed about the May 12 Earthquake

Aid did not arrive for the 400 students and staff buried under the rubbles of Dongqi Middle School in Wanhan count in Sichuan’s Mianzhu city until days after the devastating May 12 earthquake. Official rescue teams had claimed on the 5th day that only those alive would be rescued. To date, parents of deceased Dongqi students have received only $9,600 Yuan in compensation.
One parent said over 400 student and staff were buried alive when the school’s 4 storey building collapsed. The building had earlier been found to be unsafe but proposals to relocate classes never eventuated. Of the buildings surrounding the school, only the male student dormitories collapsed. This parent had a 16 year old son and he was a first year senior. He responded to his parent’s calls 3 days after the quake.

Official rescue teams arrived 2 days later and said only those alive would be rescued. Military aid arrived on the 7th day, and troops told parents in tears that had they arrived earlier, their children would not have died.

So far parents have received $9,600 Yuan compensation from the Government and Education Department.

Parents have limited knowledge about the reinforcement and concrete qualities used in the construction, but the Education Department had known prior to the May 12 earthquake that the buildings were unsafe and had proposed to relocate. Sadly there was no relocation before the earthquake struck. Officials have denied that the school collapses are related to building standards but parents have rejected this position:

Recently, 4 representatives of parents of Beichuan First Middle School student victims have again gone to the Sichuan Provincial Appeals Office and the Education Department to hand in a joint letter of parents strongly demanding the government release investigation results into the substandard school constructions.

The above news is brought to you by Tianxi and Chris Thomas for Inside China Today on the SOH Radio Network