As schools fell, govt offices stood firm

The majority of severely damaged buildings in the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province were schools and factories, a report prepared by scholars from three key universities of the country has revealed.

Experts from the Tsinghua University, Beijing Jiaotong University and Southwest Jiaotong University made the detailed findings after inspecting 384 buildings in seven cities of Sichuan soon after the earthquake.

The report, which was released to the press yesterday, suggests that among the 44 school buildings inspected, 10 should not be used anymore, while 15 should be "demolished immediately".