207 schoolchildren killed in China quake
By IANSThursday, April 22, 2010
QINGHAI - A total of 207 schoolchildren have been killed in the April 14 earthquake in northwest China, Xinhua reported.
About 35 percent of the deaths were caused by the collapsed school buildings, said Cering Tai, deputy director of the Qinghai provincial education bureau. Rest of them died outside the school premises.
The epicentre of the 7.1-magnitude quake was in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province. Some 2,183 people were killed in the temblor.
About 37 percent of the school buildings in the area collapsed in the quake. Some buildings cracked but did not collapse, which allowed students to evacuate safely, the official added.
Most schools would resume classes by the end of this month in makeshift classrooms, he said Thursday.
