Earthquakes

This afternoon there was an earthquake in Wenchuan, in Sichuan province, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. At least 107 people have died, and almost 900 students were buried when their school collapsed. Minutes later there was another, measuring 3.9, in East Beijing. Friends in high rise office building had to evacuate their offices by stairs but most people on the ground didn't feel anything.

I was in the center of the city when the quakes occurred, walking through the Forbidden City, and found out about them through a text message from a friend. I hadn't experienced anything and was surprised to learn what had happened.

China's Premier, Wen Jiabao, flew down to Sichuan this afternoon to oversee rescue work.