China earthquake hits close to home for Hillcrest student

By Trisha Marczak | The Daily Journal

Published Wednesday, May 14, 2008

An earthquake in China left thousands throughout the world wondering the condition of loved ones staying in or near Sichuan province — including one student residing in Fergus Falls.

The official death toll climbed past 12,000 in Sichuan province Wednesday, where emergency workers reached the epicenter of the massive quake as night fell. The number appeared certain to rise far higher as rescue and recovery efforts moved forward.

The disaster struck close to family for John Choi, a Korean exchange student at Hillcrest Academy. Choi’s mother and father are stationed as missionaries in Xi’an in the Shaanxi, a neighboring province where 61 people have been reported dead and 176 injured, according to Chinese news outlet, China View.

Choi’s mother called from Xi’an Monday night to report that she and those living within her apartment complex were not significantly affected.

“My mom told me she felt the quake shaking, but not that bad,” Choi said. “Some photo frames fell on the floor and broke, people who lived on upper levels had cracks.”

Residents of the apartment complex spent the night outside on a nearby playground to avoid any possibility of harm caused by building destruction, he said.

Xinhua News Agency said 18,645 people were still buried in debris in and around Mianyang, a city about 60 miles east of the epicenter. People there spent a second night sleeping outside in the rain, some under striped plastic sheeting strung between trees. The government ordered people not to return to their homes, citing safety concerns, and posted security guards outside apartment complexes to keep people out.

Choi said he is not as concerned for his family because of their distance from the earthquake’s epicenter, and is thankful for that.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush spoke by phone with Chinese President Hu Jintao and expressed his condolences. She said the U.S. is offering an initial $500,000 in earthquake relief in anticipation of an appeal by the International Red Cross.

The quake was China’s deadliest since 1976, when 240,000 people were killed in the city of Tangshan, near Beijing in 1976. Financial analysts said the quake would have only a limited impact on the country’s booming economy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.