Thousands Dead in China Quake

China's strongest earthquake in 32 years has dealt its Sichuan Province a devastating blow, killing at least 8,700 people in the surrounding area.

The earthquake measured a staggering 7.9 on the richter scale, and tremors were felt throughout the region, including Beijing, which is about 960 miles away from the epicenter, and Bangkok, Thailand, which is about 1200 miles away.  To put this in perspective, this is roughly the the distance between New York City and Miami, or Denver to San Francisco.

We don't yet know the full extent of the devastation, but the initial numbers are quite staggering.  Eighty percent of buildings in Beichang County's Mianyang City have been destroyed, and between three and five thousand are estimated dead in that one county alone.  An additional 10,000 have been injured.

Many of the earthquake victims are children, who were at school during the afternoon earthquake.  One of the most devastating buildings to collapse is Juyuan Middle School.  State media estimates about 900 students were buried in the rubble, and 50 confirmed dead.  

Many roads and other infrastructure in the region have been destroyed, but China's Three Gorges Dam, only a few miles from the epicenter, remains intact, and most of the railroads are still functioning.

 Between 240,000 and 255,000 died in the 1976 Great Tangshan  Earthquake, China's most recent earthquake of this magnitude, but the total damage from this earthquake probably won't be quite as severe, due to improved infrastructure and relief efforts.

The Chinese government and relief organizations are ready to offer assistance to the earthquake victims.  China's President Hu Jintao was immediately on the scene, and ordered "all-out efforts" to blunt some of the quake's damage.

The Red Cross has sent over $100,000 USD worth of quilts and tents to the people of Sichuan Province, and Operation Blessing plans to send a medical team into the area tomorrow.