A town that no longer exists
The town of Beichuan was one of the worst hit in Monday's earthquake. Several days ago, we tried to get in, but the police stopped us at a road block.
So, on Friday afternoon, my colleagues and I trekked for several hours through a hilltop forest to get there. As we got closer, we could hear sirens coming from the valley below us.
Then we found Beichuan. More accurately, we found the ruins of Beichuan - because the town no longer exists. Almost every building has been damaged or destroyed.
Rescuers in orange uniforms stood on mountains of rubble deciding what to do next. When an entire town has been destroyed where do you even begin?
On the streets someone had covered a number dead bodies with a few jackets. Near a fruit and vegetable market, the body of a small child poked from the rubble .
But rescuers in the town are still finding people alive - more than 100 hours after the earthquake happened.
One BBC team followed a group of emergency workers to the 3rd floor of a local transport bureau. The workers were trying to free a 22-year-old man, Liu Chang. He was stuck under wedges of concrete. But Mr Liu was fully conscious and wide-eyed. He was able to grab the bottles of water that the workers passed to him. But they kept from him the news that his mother had died in the quake.
As the sun came down, we watched rescuers free a woman from the collapsed offices of a local power company.
Elsewhere, amid the debris, these are the things that stick in my mind: the washing still on the lines in people's homes, a well-fed dog with a collar that refused to leave the front door of a damaged house, and a photo album - with carefully ordered pictures of a young woman posing with her friends.
I’m 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~06~RS~)
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James:
It is very sad that the town of Beichuan (China) is no longer in existence....
I hope that they can get the necessary help....
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I'm presently in Shanghai and the disaster has touched the hearts of many of the residents. The response of the Chinese government has been excellent. Compare their response to that of the Burmese authorities.
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Such a bleak outlook! It’s very difficult and sad to finish reading the stores about this earthquake. It’s hard to imagine how the local people cope with the aftermath, how the rescue workers and reporters like you guys stand strong to carry out the work. Thanks for keeping on the coverage. But somehow it’s not so hard to foresee that Beichuan people will rebuild their hometown again if we all stand by them.
I'd like to share a list of web links where individual donation can be made:
1. Red Cross Hong Kong for Sichuan Earthquake Relief (English and
Chinese):
http://www.redcross.org.hk/donation/user_donation.asp
2. New York Chinese Consulate for Sichuan Earthquake Relief (English)
http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng/
3. MeryCorp (English)
http://www.mercycorps.org/chinaearthquake/
4. WorldVision (English and Chinese)
http://www.worldvision.org.hk/eng/appeal/Sichuan/emer_frame_e.html
5. Red Cross China (Chinese Webpage)
http://www.crcf.org.cn/gb/jianjie/jkindex.asp
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James, Thanks for your report. Every chinese around the world are weeping these days. Pray for the victims. SiChuan is a such a lovely place. I have been there for half a year.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
As a Chinese, I think this is the most acceptable one in your blogs, true, fair and sympathetic. Thank you!
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James:
How is the progress of the town that doesn't exist...Now....
Could you do an update on this blog...
~Dennis Junior~
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