Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Earthquake In China

I'm staggered by the magnitude of the disaster in China. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake near Chengdu is believe to have resulted in over 12,000 deaths so far and rendered thousands homeless. Just read about an estimated 900 students who were buried in their school building; no one's sure whether they're still alive.

My mind is numbed by the figures... Several years back, 200 deaths caused by a bomb here at home resulted in so much national shock & grief... 12,000 is completely unimaginable to me. I remind myself though, that these are not just numbers and statistics, but each represents a story of deep pain and suffering. My heart and prayers go out to my Chinese brothers and sisters.

1 comment:

Rombo said...

You know, I hadn't seen it from that comparative perspective.

It IS unimaginable when you put it like that. Nor had I taken the time to step back from the numbers and consider the individual stories behind the numbers.