More than 71,000 people are dead or missing from the Sichuan earthquake. Watching the schools collapse and the recovery of so many children’s bodies, people are asking why the schools were so vulnerable. From the Los Angeles Times:
Chinese officials, facing a barrage of questions from bereaved parents and angry citizens, say they will launch an investigation into why so many schools were toppled by last week’s earthquake.
Officials said that at least 6,898 schoolrooms had collapsed in Sichuan province, where the quake was centered. “If quality problems exist, we will definitely punish those responsible severely and give the public a satisfactory answer,” said Han Jan, director of the Ministry of Education’s development and planning department.
