GREAT PHOTOJOURNALISM

Great Photojournalism

Mads Nissen

Sichuan Earthquake

The 8.0 Earthquake in Sichuan 2008

Man on a search, through the ruins in Beichuan County. Even in the many days following the earthquake, debris from the demolition of buildings still permeated the air.

A 8.0 sized Earthquake hit Sichuan province on the 12th of May. Almost one month after the earthquake, death toll is measured at nearly 70 000, with 17 500 still missing.

Kneeling on what once was her past life, Mrs. Chang is mourning the death of her son, whose body now lay buried in scattered rubbles.

Rescue workers resting on-site after another day of strenuous relief work. The 8.0 Sichuan Earthquake drew much relief effort both from within China and the international community.

Man walking over rubbles towards a half slanted building in Beichuan County, one of the regions in Sichuan where the earthquake affected the most. Almost the entire county was destroyed, the quality of construction in this area is under public and institutional scrutiny.

A man is crying while he flips through a family album he found in the rubbles of his old house.

Earthquake in Chengdu-province. Destruction in the village of Beichuan.

Qiu Guangmei, aged 22, is wiping the tears off of the face of his husband, Xu Maojun, aged 30. They were locals from a village in the Beichuan County, which received serious damages from the earthquake. The couple came to the Mianyang Stadium to seek refuge on May 13th, and stayed there for 3 days before the government asked them to return to their village and resettle temporarily in refugee camps. They have a son who is 2 years and 5 months old.

At the Mianyang Stadium, a crowd of refugees focus intently at the TV as it announces the latest news outbreak on the earthquake.

A 8.0 sized earthquake hit Sichuan province on the 12th of May. Earthquake refugees sought shelter at the sports stadium in Mianyang, about 3 hours from Chengdu. Many of the people here are from the villages in Beichuan County that was almost completely destroyed by the quake. At the peak close to 30 000 people sought refuge at this stadium.

Buildings gone down in rubbles, city in ruins.