Wednesday marked the official day of mourning for victims of the earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai as the official death toll climbed to almost 2200. From AP:
Bowing their heads in silent tribute, thousands of officials, soldiers and civilians gathered Wednesday in ceremonies across China to mourn the 2,064 victims killed in a devastating quake that hit one week ago in a remote Tibetan region.
Conspicuously absent from all the televised ceremonies were any Tibetan Buddhist monks. The monks, thousands of whom poured into the quake zone from surrounding areas to help, said Wednesday they had been ordered to leave the region — an apparent sign of the Communist Party’s unease over the leading role they played in the relief effort.
See also “An Official Mourning in China for Quake Victims” from the New York Times. BBC has a slideshow of images from the day of mourning.
