China mourns mudslide victims as relief operation continues

• Source: Xinhua
• [11:26 August 15 2010]
• Comments

The national flag of China is seen at half mast as Chinese people pay a silent tribute to the victims of the August 8 mudslide disaster in Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Gansu Province, at the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, August 15, 2010. China on Sunday held mounrings for the mudslide victims, all over the country and at overseas embassies and consulates. Photo:Xinhua

Amid sirens and horns wailing, the people in China Sunday stood in silent tribute to victims of a massive mudslide in a remote northwestern town.

Chinese leaders, citizens, students and workers across the nation paused for three minutes at 10 am, a week after the devastating mudslide hit Zhouqu County, in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. At least 1,239 people have died and 505 are listed as missing.

At the Dongjie Village in Zhouqu, more than 5,000 rescuers and villagers stood still on the debris of mudslide, bowing their heads in commemoration of those killed in the disaster.

"I only feel sad as I stand on the debris of our homes," said villager Zhang Xiujuan.

"Although my husband, my son and I survived, I lost more than 30 relatives in the mudslides," she said.

In Dongjie, two thirds of families with 848 villagers were buried when the mudslides struck. And 368 villagers have died in the disaster.

Before and after the three-minute mourning, rescuers including troops and medical workers continued to clear the debris, searching for bodies and spray disinfectant in the area.

In central Beijing, thousands of people gathered at the Tian'anmen Square early Sunday morning to watch a national flag hoisted to full height and then lowered to half-mast.

A flag at half-mast is also seen at Xinhuamen, the main entrance of Zhongnanhai, the seat of the Communist Party of China and the central government, as part of the one-day national mourning.

The national flags across the country and at overseas embassies and consulates were also lowered to half-mast Sunday.

Public entertainment was ordered to be suspended Sunday in a show of mourning, and soon after 12 am Sunday, front pages of Chinese websites turned to black and white.

According to Chinese tradition, the seventh day after a death marks the height of the mourning period.

Large-scale national displays of mourning are rare in China.

China observed a three-day national mourning period after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and a one-day national mourning after the Yushu quake in Qinghai Province on April 14 this year.

On both occasions, the national flag was lowered to half-mast and all public entertainment was suspended.