The Buildings that Crumbled to Dust

(Yushu, China) - The destructive power of the Yushu earthquake in early April was concentrated on shoddy construction. Of the over 12,000 injured and 2,000 killed in the aftermath of the 7.1 magnitude Yushu earthquake, most of the deaths and injuries were caused by the collapse of buildings.

Zhang Xinji, head of the Qinghai Seismological Bureau, announced at a news conference that as a result of poor earthquake-proofing in the area, residential buildings suffered severe damage from the quake.