LD QUAKE

Sat, May 17 07:31 PM

After quake,mounting anger against quality of school buildings Raghavendra Beijing, May 17 (PTI) As China grappled with the reality that so many children were among the 50,000 persons thought to be killed in the quake, anger was mounting among parents over the quality of school buildings which has become an explosive issue. The saga of grit and determination of survivors also came to the fore today when a German tourist was pulled out alive by 20 soldiers from the wreckage in Wenchuan county, nearly 114 hours after the deadly earthquake.

The official death toll from the most calamitous earthquake in three decades mounted to nearly 29,000 today, as China braced for more casualties with thousands more still buried five days after the disaster struck. Yesterday, the Chinese government said 50,000 persons were feared to be dead.

The large-scale collapse of school buildings triggered doubts among parents whether it was a result of compromising on safety to cut costs by officials. China ordered a probe following suspicions that short cuts were taken.

Over three million people were still homeless as rescuers carried out mammoth relief operations looking even for the slightest signs of survivors amidst fast fading hopes. The State Council or the cabinet Information Office said the toll had risen to 28,881 till this afternoon.

The 7.8 magnitude quake has also left 198,347 persons injured and devastated 3.13 million houses and damaged 15.61 million more, official Xinhua news agency said. More than 10,600 people still remained buried under the rubble in Sichuan province where death toll mounted to 28,300.

Hundreds of people were also being evacuated near a lake that is threatening to burst in the disaster zone, after multiple landslides set off by the quake blocked parts of the Qingzhu river in Hongguang township in Qingchuan city. PTI RA GSN MPB 05171856 DEL.

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