On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan. Statistics as of September 25 of that year showed about 69,000 people killed and 18,000 missing, with large numbers of students buried under collapsed school buildings.
On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan, Sichuan. Official statistics as of September 25 recorded 69,227 dead and 17,923 missing, with a large number of houses collapsed; the video links the casualties to building quality.
After the Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008, large numbers of civilian volunteers and professional rescue teams from various regions joined the disaster relief effort, which is often regarded as a symbol of the rise of civil society in China.