10 Years Since the Devastating 2008 Sichuan Earthquake

On May 12, 2008, a magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck beneath a mountainous region in south-central China, toppling buildings and sending landslides crashing into cities, resulting in nearly 70,000 deaths. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake (also called the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake) became even more infamous for exposing the cheap and inferior construction methods used in schools across the region, which left thousands of children dead and injured. Ten years later, in hard-hit Beichuan County, most survivors have been relocated to new homes, which were built about 19 miles (30 kilometers) away from the ruins that remain in place today—slowly being reclaimed by nature.

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