A massive earthquake hit China on Monday, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale. 9,000 people are already confirmed dead, and many more are trapped in the rubble, including at least 900 students.
The earthquake was concentrated in central China, so the country’s biggest cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, were not affected, although tremors there were definitely felt. However, China’s state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported that over 80 percent of the buildings in the region directly hit by the earthquake had collapsed, including a toxic chemicals plant. Apparently, over 80 tons of toxic chemicals have leaked from the damaged plant into the ground and atmosphere.
This is more bad news for China, which has gotten a lot of negative press lately regarding its handling of Tibet and its overall human rights record. The Olympic Games, which China was hoping would improve the country’s worldwide image, have brought nothing but trouble so far. Monday’s earthquake has nothing to do with the Olympics, of course, but China’s rescue and humanitarian efforts dealing with the quake’s aftermath will probably be scrutinized heavily by the international media. Another public relations disaster would be very bad for the Chinese government and may convince some countries to boycott the upcoming Olympics.
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