Earthquake casualties in China
THE magnitude of the earthquake in China has shocked people everywhere. With reports coming in of 8,500 people, perhaps more, dead and as many as 10,000 others badly injured from a tremor on a Richter scale of 7.8, we can only imagine the terrible destruction that such a disaster can have brought about. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has described it as a major disaster, a view that we fully share. In such circumstances, it becomes the responsibility of the Beijing authorities to go full steam into the job of ensuring the rehabilitation of those affected by the earthquake. It appears, happily for everyone, that such measures have already been taken by the authorities, with the result that the risks of a bigger fallout from the earthquake have been appreciably minimised. This is in contrast to the slow, rather indifferent approach taken by the Myanmar authorities towards tackling the consequences of the recent cyclone in their country.
In recent times, natural disasters appear to have taken a wholly new dimension. Of late, there have been no fewer than four tornadoes occurring in the United States. Severe storms have lashed regions in South America and typhoons have hit coasts in Asia. We in Bangladesh have been regular witness to some of the most horrifying natural calamities, with cyclones and typhoons, to say nothing of floods, battering the country. Severe rains have laid whole villages and towns waste in a number of countries. It all goes to show the general, indeed serious changes that have been coming into the global climate system over the years. Of course, earthquakes generally fall outside such a system of worrying change. But what is important here is that the recent disasters in terms of floods, cyclones and typhoons are a warning about further dangers to the eco system. These warnings need to be taken seriously.
Our sympathies go out to the families of those who have perished in the earthquake in China and also to those who have survived the crisis. We also appreciate the disciplined way in which the Chinese authorities have been dealing with the crisis.
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