| 15 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago Military struggling to aid quake victims
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(NECN/ABC: Beijing, China) - We've been able to witness the brief moments of hope. A family cheering as a
pregnant woman is pulled from the rubble after being trapped for 50 hours.
And many, many more moments when hope is lost. The overwhelming grief that
comes when the weak voices of victims heard from underneath the rubble
suddenly fall silent.
At least a dozen schools were destroyed in the quake zone hundreds of
students and teachers have been killed.
There are few scenes more painful than the anguish of a mother who has just identified a
dead child.
The government’s response has been like a military operation so far. But
even with a hundred thousand soldiers now deployed in the quake zone it's a
tough slog.
There's not enough heavy equipment to dig through all the rubble
There's a desperate need for more food, water, and medicine. In many areas,
it has to be dropped by air since the mountain roads are so badly damaged.
Some army units are also being diverted to check out potentially dangerous
cracks in several reservoir dams. A burst dam in Sichuan's rugged valleys
could have a catastrophic impact on the already badly crippled villages here.
The army also has to help deal with a growing refugees crisis up to a half
million people may now be homeless. Many are now in makeshift refugee camps
without power and water.
ABC's Mark Litke reports.
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