Published on : 12/05/2024
On May 12, 2008, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake occurred near Yingxiu Town in Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan.
The Wenchuan earthquake was the most devastating earthquake in China since 1949, and the deadliest since the Tangshan earthquake, resulting in 69,000 deaths, 17,000 missing, over 370,000 injured, and affecting as many as 46.256 million people. Direct economic losses in disaster-stricken provinces such as Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi amounted to 845.1 billion CNY .
The Wenchuan earthquake drew strong reactions from all sectors of society. The State Council declared May 19th to 21st as national days of mourning, with flags at half-mast and public entertainment activities suspended. The Beijing Olympic torch relay was also temporarily halted.
On the other hand, donations for disaster relief were made from all over the country and the world, receiving a total of 59.468 billion CNY in donations from various sectors of society at home and abroad.
By early 2012, Jiang Jufeng, then Governor of Sichuan Province, announced in his work report that the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction had been completed after more than three years.
