The deadly May 12 earthquake, measured at magnitude 8.0 on the Richter Scale, killed 69,227 people (official figure as of Sept. 19) and left 17,923 and 374,634 people missing and injured respectively. It is the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people.
Special Report: Wenchuan Earthquake

 

Students holding candles form a shape meaning love embracing Wenchuan of southwest China's Sichuan Province, hit on May 12 by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, during a praying and donation activity for the quake relief, at No. 2 Middle School in Hanshan County of east China's Anhui Province, May 15, 2008.