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An earthquake, magnitude 8.0, struck Sichuan province of China at
2:28PM, May 12, 2008. The
epicenter of the earthquake, Wenchuan, is about 90 miles from
Chengdu. The earthquake released more
energy than 500 atomic bombs, 30 times more than the Kobe
earthquake in Japan, 1995. By May 19, there are more than 32,000
confirmed dead, more than 20,000 still missing, and more than 4.7
million houses collapsed or heavily damaged.