Society

Mourning place for quake victims in SW China reopens

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-09-30 22:40
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CHENGDU - A mourning place for the victims of the massive earthquake that struck Southwest China's Sichuan province in 2008 reopened on Thursday after being closed for months because of landslides and floods.

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But admittance to the area has been limited.

"Each day, only 1,000 people are allowed to enter Beichuan county to mourn for the victims of the quake," said Zhang Dingchun from the quake zone preservation headquarters.

Beichuan was one of the worst hit areas when the magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck on May 12, 2008. The quake left 87,000 people either dead or missing.

Torrential rains began pounding Beichuan in Aug, triggering landslides and floods.

The most recent flood hit the county on Sept 21.

Workers struggled for more than 10 days to repair roads and clean up the sludge the flood left behind.