China mourns landslide victims
05:55 AM Aug 16, 2010BEIJING - Flags
were flying at half mast yesterday and public entertainment was cancelled as
China marked a national day of mourning for the more than 1,200 people killed by
massive mudslides in the north-west province of Gansu.

Thousands of
residents and rescuers in Zhouqu, a remote mountain region flattened by last
weekend's landslides, stopped search efforts to take part in a ceremony to
remember the victims, state television said.

Sirens wailed as mourners,
wearing white paper flowers and some still clutching their shovels, observed a
three-minute silence.

Rescuers and medics later resumed their duties,
clearing debris from the swollen Bailong River, searching for bodies buried
under sludge and spraying disinfectant to prevent a disease outbreak, Xinhua
news agency said.

President Hu Jintao and other top leaders also paid
tribute to the victims, as flags across the country and at overseas embassies
were flown at half-mast and public entertainment such as movies, karaoke, online
games and television was suspended, state media reports said.

State
television broadcast images of about 10,000 people gathered at Tiananmen Square
in Beijing to watch a special flag-raising ceremony while other ceremonies were
held across the country.

Shortly after midnight, the home pages of
Chinese websites turned black and white while newspapers were stripped of colour
in a show of mourning, Xinhua said.

The authorities said 505 people in
Zhouqu were still missing after the avalanche of mud and rocks last Saturday
night, which levelled an area 5km long and 300m wide. AFP

I felt sadden while reading this article, it's hard to imagine what they had to went through by losing the one they care for by this landslide. Not to mention that, alot of people took par in this meaning that alot of people were affected by this even the chinese websites turned black & white while newspaper were stripped of colour in a show of mourning.