JOURNEY TOWARD THE QUAKE'S EPICENTER
Posted: Friday, May 16, 2008 6:31 PM
Filed Under:
Beijing, China
By Mark Mullen, NBC News Correspondent
SICHUAN PROVINCE, China – I moved to China from California, so earthquakes are unfortunately familiar. But even in California, the most populous state in the U.S., the epicenter of any quake is often located in a place where it doesn't seem to do much harm: in the woods or off the coast. Here in Sichuan province, I thought it was tragic that an epicenter located so far from a city center could be blamed for so many deaths – including 70 percent of the 10,000 residents in a town called Yingxiu. Why did this happen? And how were the town's survivors coping days later?
I'm curious to find out, so we set out for the town, located in the scenic mountains of Sichuan province that are the habitat of the giant panda. We know there will be challenges getting there. The town itself is in a fairly remote area to begin with; access has been blocked further by damaged roads and falling debris. With my GPS in hand and a knowledgeable local guide behind the wheel, we set out for Yingxiu, dodging road closures, convoys and landslides. As we move closer to our destination, it's remarkable to see the impact of this quake: not just damaged structures but also the countless people living street side in makeshift tents. They are everywhere.
 |
| msnbc.com |
|
We move through the city of Dujiangyan and see a gathering of residents standing outside a partially collapsed apartment building. A yellow heavy hydraulic shovel is there with its arm extended onto an exposed section of apartment floor. Both lurching and delicate at once, the shovel paws at a section of debris, moving it off the floor and away, we soon learn, from another fatality of this earthquake. Notification of next of kin is instant, with the sound of a wail from a relative watching from the crowd. She soon learns that three other relatives also died in that apartment. With casualties this high and widespread, death is not always dignified for the victims or their families. We leave.
As we head into the mountains it's apparent we are getting closer to Yingxiu. Its proximity can be measured by the increase in emergency vehicles and rigidity of the guards limiting access to the hardest-hit areas – though we have permission to be here. If our van is not allowed through the access point, then the question is how to get up the mountain. We spot some local motorcyclists and immediately begin negotiations. We are told they can take us to a point at the river where we can try to hire a private boat and move us closer to the town. As it turns out, none of this is necessary. Our driver gets the van through, and as we make our way up the hill, we learn from a soldier that Yingxiu has been hastily abandoned by the surviving residents. We find them on a roadside turnout waiting for buses, tractors, anything to take them down the mountain. Their stories are horrific. One man tells us the ground shook so hard, that everyone was knocked off their feet. A woman says she had no food for four days and bad weather and conditions prevented her from escaping. Her only nourishment was rainwater that she scooped from the ground. The most disturbing story comes from a resident who said most of the town's children died because they weren't fast enough to escape the heavier debris when it started to fall.
 |
| Ng Han Guan/AP |
| Damage in Yingxiu, China. |
It is the number of fatalities, both young and old, that is why these residents are here. There are so many bodies in Yingxiu, says one man, that they fear disease is going to break out. "We ran for our lives as fast as we could."
Unlike so many rural Chinese who are determined to rebuild their homes and lives, the survivors of Yingxiu don't appear to be looking back. A bus approaches and they jam the door, competing for a seat. Our journey concludes as theirs begins – though theirs is a race to nowhere. Many have no idea where they will go next. They are positive only that they don't want to be here.
(For a Newsweek interactive map of the stricken area, including aerial images of the devastation in Yingxiu, click here.)
