Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sign Post - 1 More Earthquakes and now sink holes too!

Final death toll from China quake almost 3,000, state news agency saysXinhua agency says 2,698 people killed and 270 still missing after earthquake devastated Yushu county last month

guardian.co.uk, Monday 31 May 2010 records this article:

Nearly 3,000 people are dead or missing after a strong quake in north-west China last month, the official Xinhua agency said today as it gave a final death toll from the tremor.

The 14 April 2010 quake, which happened in the largely Tibetan Yushu county, killed 2,698 people, Xinhua quoted the vice-governor of Qinghai province, Zhang Guangrong, as saying. He said 270 people were still missing. The figures were a significant increase from previous tolls given by the government. Among the victims were 199 students and one Hong Kong resident, Zhang added. All but 11 of the dead had been identified, he said.
The magnitude 6.9 quake hit a remote, mountainous region and most of the dead were ethnic Tibetans in the devastated county seat, Gyegu.

Rescue efforts were complicated by poor transport links, difficult weather and freezing temperatures. China has allocated billions of yuan for reconstruction, with a three-year target for rebuilding homes, schools and roads, state media reported.

Watch the size and depth of the sinkhole
Tropical Storm Agatha blows a hole in Guatemala CityHundreds dead as torrential rain sweeps Central America. Sinkhole in Guatemala swallows three-storey building

Tropical Storm Agatha blows a hole in Guatemala CityHundreds dead as torrential rain sweeps Central America. Sinkhole in Guatemala swallows three-storey building


(4956)Tweet this (894)Peter Walker The Guardian, Tuesday 1 June 2010 Article history

A sinkhole that swallowed a three-storey building in Guatemala City has been blamed on a combination of Tropical Storm Agatha and poor drainage systems. Photograph: Luis Echeverria/AP

Tropical Storm Agatha swept across Central America yesterday, bringing torrential rain that killed more than 100 people and opened a 60m-deep sinkhole in Guatemala City which reportedly swallowed up a three-storey building.

The first named storm of the 2010 Pacific season dumped more than a metre of rain in parts of Guatemala, also hitting El Salvador and Honduras. At least 113 people were reported killed, with around 50 missing in Guatemala alone as rescue workers searched through the rubble.

The 30m-diameter sinkhole opened up in a northern district of Guatemala City, with residents blaming the rains and substandard drainage systems. Local reports said one man was killed when the building was swallowed. In 2007, three people died when a similar sinkhole appeared in the same area.  Guatemala was the worst affected country, with a confirmed death toll of 92, although that is likely to rise when rescuers reach remote villages. Almost 100,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Nine people were confirmed killed in El Salvador and 12 in Honduras.

A sinkhole that swallowed a three-storey building in Guatemala City has been blamed on a combination of Tropical Storm Agatha and poor drainage systems. Photograph: Luis Echeverria/AP

Our most reasonable answer is that there is nothing strange happening.  In earlier years communication was a problem so incidents like these happened and the world could not get to know about it.  But today, with satellites, the internet, we come to know about these events in a short space of time.

Good answer! If that satifies your deepest quest as to why are these things happening - so be it.  If not then continue the search for the answers.




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