Juyuan Middle School

Guide Note

After a devastating 7.8 earthquake hit China on May 12, around 900 students were buried when a school collapsed near the Chinese city of Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital.

According to a report in the Scientific American the school's collapse was caused by the 6.0 aftershock.

There are thought to be 8 schools that have collapsed in the region hit by the earthquake.

Fast Facts

1. Teenagers buried beneath the rubble
2. Three-storey building
3. Parents said to be watching while cranes excavate the site

1. 7.8 magnitude
2. Epicenter: 57 miles north-west of Chengdu, China
3. Biggest to hit China since an 8.6 quake struck Tibet in 1950
4. Tremors felt in Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei and Hanoi, Vietnam
5. Hit at 2:28 p.m. local time
6. Magnitude 6 after shock hit same area after 15 minutes