2008, June 1

Among those killed in the 12 May earthquake is a large number of children, as almost 7,000 classrooms are reported to have collapsed due to poor construction of school buildings. It is estimated that more than 11,000 children died while in school as the earhquake hit the area. More than 360,000 people have been injured according the the Chinese government and some 5 million have lost their homes. The heavily destroyed city of Beichuan is further threatened by a newly formed lake that formed behind landslides triggered by the earthquake. Already more than 200,000 people have been evacuated to higher grounds. The Government is building a canal to drain the lake before the dam brakes.
Emergency plans for evacuating another million people from the city of Mianyang, which would be flooded if the dam breakes.

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