R:190728/1116Z 25956@LU3DVN.USH.TDF.ARG.SOAM LinBPQ6.0.17
R:190728/1106Z 34052@N3HYM.MD.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.18
R:190728/1115Z 11357@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.18


At 3:42 a.m., an earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude on
the Richter scale flattens Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about one million people. As almost everyone was asleep in
their beds, instead of outside in the relative safety of the streets,
the quake was especially costly in terms of human life. An estimated
242,000 people in Tangshan and surrounding areas were killed, making the earthquake one of the deadliest in recorded history, surpassed only by
the 300,000 who died in the Calcutta earthquake in 1737, and the 830,000 thought to have perished in China.s Shaanxi province in 1556.

Caught between the Indian and Pacific plates, China has been a very
active location for earthquakes throughout history. Earthquakes have
also played a significant part in China.s culture and science, and the
Chinese were the first to develop functioning seismometers. The area of northern China hit by the Tangshan earthquake is particularly prone to
the westward movement of the Pacific plate.

In the days preceding the earthquake, people began to notice strange
phenomena in and around Tangshan. Well-water levels rose and fell. Rats
were seen running in panicked packs in broad daylight. Chickens refused
to eat. During the evening of July 27 and the early morning hours of
July 28, people reported flashes of colored light and roaring fireballs.
Still, at 3:42 a.m. most people were sleeping quietly when the
earthquake struck. It lasted for 23 seconds and leveled 90 percent of Tangshan.s buildings. At least a quarter-of-a-million people were killed
and 160,000 others injured. The earthquake came during the heat of
midsummer, and many stunned survivors crawled out of their ruined houses
naked, covered only in dust and blood. The earthquake started fires and
ignited explosives and poisonous gases in Tangshan.s factories. Water
and electricity were cut off, and rail and road access to the city was destroyed.

The Chinese government was ill-prepared for a disaster of this scale.
The day following the quake, helicopters and planes began dropping food
and medicine into the city. Some 100,000 soldiers of the People.s
Liberation Army were ordered to Tangshan, and many had to march on foot
from Jinzhou, a distance of more than 180 miles. About 30,000 medical
personnel were called in, along with 30,000 construction workers. The
Chinese government, boasting self-sufficiency, refused all offers of
foreign relief aid. In the crucial first week after the crisis, many
died from lack of medical care. Troops and relief workers lacked the
kind of heavy rescue training necessary to efficiently pull survivors
from the rubble. Looting was also epidemic. More than 160,000 families
were left homeless, and more than 4,000 children were orphaned.

Tangshan was eventually rebuilt with adequate earthquake precautions.
Today, nearly two million people live there. There is speculation that
the death toll from the 1976 quake was much higher than the official
Chinese government figure of 242,000. Some Chinese sources have spoken privately of more than 500,000 deaths.

73, Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV @ KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email: KF5JRV@GMAIL.com


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