A rescuer carries a child from the ruins of her collapsed home in Ya'an City. AFP
By Terry Fredrickson
His Majesty the King has sent a message of condolence to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the deaths caused by the Sichuan earthquake on Saturday as rescuers struggle to rush aid to victims.
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King 'saddened' by deaths
Bangkok Post & Agencies
An aerial view photo of the quake-destroyed areas in Taiping Town of Lushan County in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan province. AFP
His Majesty the King has sent a message of condolence to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the deaths caused by the Sichuan earthquake on Saturday.
The message reads: "The Queen and I are deeply saddened by the news of the recent earthquake in Sichuan province causing heavy loss of lives and considerable casualties. We would like to extend our sincere sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Your Excellency, and through you, to all those who have suffered loss and bereavement in this natural disaster."
Rescuers and relief teams yesterday struggled to rush supplies into the rural hills of Sichuan province as the death toll from the quake reached 208 and over 1,000 were seriously injured.
The earthquake triggered landslides that cut off roads and disrupted phone and power connections in mountainous Lushan county, further south on the same fault line where a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region five years ago.
Rescuers carry a paralysed elderly person from his damaged house after the earthquake in China's Sichuan province on April 20, 2013. AFP
In Longmen village, authorities said nearly all the buildings had been destroyed in a frightening minute-long shaking by the quake.
In the town of Shuangli, corn farmer Zheng Xianlan said she had rushed from the fields back to her home when the quake struck, and cried when she saw that the roof had collapsed. She then spent the night outdoors on a worn sofa using a plastic raincoat for cover.
"We don't earn much money. We don't know what we will do now," said Ms Zheng, 58. "The government only brought one tent for the whole village so far, but that's not enough for us."
Vocabulary
rescuer – a person whose job is to save someone from a dangerous or unpleasant situation ผู้ช่วยชีวิต
ruins – the remains of a building that has been badly damaged or destroyed ซากปรักหักพัง
collapse – to fall down suddenly พังลงมา ล้ม
condolence – sympathy and sadness for the family or close friends of a person who has recently died, or an expression of this, especially in written form การแสดงความเสียใจต่อผู้อื่น
earthquake – a sudden shaking movement of the ground แผ่นดินไหว
considerable – large in size, amount, or degree ค่อนข้างมาก
casualties – deaths and injuries ผู้บาดเจ็บ เสียชีวิต
sympathy – a natural feeling of kindness and understanding that you have for someone who is experiencing something very unpleasant ความเห็นอกเห็นใจ
extend sympathy – to show kindness and understanding for the family or close friends of a person who has recently died แสดงความเห็นอกเห็นใจต่อผู้อื่น
sincere – (of a person, feelings or behaviour) not pretending or lying; honest จริงใจ, ตรงไปตรงมา
heartfelt – very sincere จริงใจ,โดยตั้งใจ,ไม่เสแสร้ง
Excellency – used for talking politely to or about someone who has a very important official or religious position คำเรียกอย่างยกย่องสำหรับผู้มีตำแหน่งทางราชการสูง เช่น รัฐมนตรี เอกอัครราชทูต
bereavement – the state of having lost a relative or close friend because they have died การสูญเสียญาติหรือเพื่อสนิท
natural disaster –an unexpected natural event, such as a very bad storm or flood that kills a lot of people or causes a lot of damage ความหายนะธรรมชาติทาง, ภัยพิบัติธรรมชาติทาง
aerial – (of a photograph) from a plane or helicopter ภาพถ่ายทางอากาศ
relief – help; assistance การช่วยให้พ้นภัย
struggle – to try hard to do something that you find very difficult พยายาม
rush – to move or do something very quickly รีบเร่ง, วิ่ง
supplies – the things such as food, medicines, fuel, etc. that are needed by a group of people สิ่งที่จัดหาให้, เสบียง, เวชภัณฑ์
rural – connected with the countryside outside big towns and cities ในชนบท, บ้านนอก
death toll – the number of people killed ยอดผู้เสียชีวิต
injured – hurt in an accident or attack ซึ่งได้รับบาดเจ็บ
trigger – to cause ก่อให้เกิด กระตุ้น
landslide – a mass of rock and earth moving suddenly and quickly down a steep slope แผ่นดินถล่ม
disrupt – to prevent something from continuing as usual or as expected ทำให้เสียกระบวน, ทำให้เสียระบบ, ทำให้สับสน
fault line – a fault (= break in the Earth's surface) รอยเลื่อนของเปลือกโลก
devastating – damaging badly or destroying ทำลายล้าง
wreak damage – to cause destruction in a violent and often uncontrolled way ทำให้เกิดความเสียหายอย่างรุนแรง
widespread – happening or existing in many places, or affecting many people อย่างแพร่หลาย
paralysed – unable to move เป็นอัมพาต
elderly – (of people) old สูงวัย, อาวุโส, อายุมาก
authorities – people who have the power to make decisions or enforce the law เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจ
worn – damaged by continuous use, rubbing or movement ซึ่งใช้จนเก่า, ซึ่งใช้จนเสื่อม
