HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

April 14, 2010. At least 400 killed in magnitude 6.9 earthquake in China

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

At least 400 people were killed, some 10,000 others injured, and thousands of homes destroyed after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the remote Yushu county of Qinghai province, some 800km (500 miles) southwest of the provincial capital, Xining, local officials said. The quake destroyed most buildings in Jiegu, the worst affected town, although police and local rescue workers reportedly pulled out hundreds of survivors from the wreckage. In spite of the damage, a flight carrying rescue teams, medical workers, and supplies managed to land at Yushu airport. The earthquake reportedly knocked off power, water, and damaged hospitals and government sites. Many residents fled to nearby mountains after the earthquake for fears that a crack in a nearby dam could lead the dam to burst, although officials have since sought to drain the reservoir to prevent such an incident. Yushu is home to some 250,000 people, mostly ethnic Tibetans, and holds coal, copper, lead, and tin reserves.