Day 14 May 25 2008, Sunday

Death toll: 62,621
Injury toll:347, 701

Total number of aftershocks : 8, 231
Number of aftershocks measuring more than 4: 178

At one dead and 260 injured in the strongest aftershock since May 12

At 4,21pm local time, an aftershock measuring 6.4 took place. It was felt in Chengdu as well as Chongqing. More buildings and roads have collapsed.

The occurence of aftershocks was studied by Japanese geophysicist Fusakichi Omori in 1894. The Omori law state a formula which basically found that the number of aftershocks drop over exponentially over time following a major earthquake. This has described the aftershock trends following most major earthquakes since then.

According to a study by scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory based on the October 15 , 2006 quakes in Hawaii,

... on October 15, there were about 74 significant aftershocks to the (magnitiude) M6.7 earthquake. This number decreased to about 11 the following day, and to 8 on October 18. Now, seven weeks later, we are seeing only 1-3 earthquakes per day in the region.

Aftershocks occur geographically near the mainshock ( the initial earthquake), usually on the same, or on a nearby, fault. The smaller earthquakes typically represent minor readjustments as stresses caused by the earthquake relax along the part of a fault that slipped during the mainshock.

The total number of aftershocks generally scales with the magnitude of the mainshock. In other words, bigger mainshocks are followed by more aftershocks. Aftershock sequences can last for many years following a very large earthquake, and aftershock durations vary in different parts of the world.

For example, current projections show that aftershocks following the 1995 Kobe, Japan, earthquake, which was similar in magnitude to the M6.7 October 15 earthquake, will probably continue until about the year 2018. Aftershocks from the December 26, 2004, M9.3 Sumatra earthquake may occur for several decades. (emphasis added)

... although the number of aftershocks decreases over time, there is no way to predict their magnitudes. Aftershocks can be felt for months after a major earthquake, with the smaller events lasting years or even decades. The largest aftershock is usually about a full magnitude less than the mainshock.

Thunderstorms are expected in the quake areas over the next two days, hampering relief efforts.

Update on international assistance from foreign governments

Officials say rescue teams have been received from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Ten medical teams of 271 personnel have also been sent from Russia, Japan, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Cuba.

A total of 23 countries have sent 1,621.9 tons of material aid. Of these,

148.83 rons of tents, blankets and medication came from Russia,
75 tons of tents, blankets and food came from Saudi Arabia,
2,300 tents from Pakistan,
1,000 tents from the Philippines,
277 tents, 560 kg of medication and medical equipment, 6,000 gloves, over 53,000 pieces of clothng and 1,750 kg of tea from Sri Lanka
and 30 tons of food, tents and medication from Indonesia.

An official team of 300 has been set up to audit the donations received for relief purposes.


VIDEO OF THE DAY

Almost two weeks after. This video reminisces about some of the most iconic and heartbreaking moments since the tremor struck.






The individual scenes

0:05 Premier Wen Jiabao look on as rescuers try to save a student
0:11 Two parents find the body of their child
0:20 A lady looks on helplessly at her trapped husband
0:28 A secondary school student holds on tight to a pen in the hand, to the death
0:36 Parents mourn and burn offerings to their deceased children
0:46 A 20 year-old rescued after 125 hours
0:58 Parents searching for their children in the rubble
1:05 A soldier takes care of a baby he found
1:15 A child salutes his rescuers
1:22 Graffiti on fallen walls
1:30 Tired soldiers taking a snooze
1:38 The national flag dances among the rubble, as the last structure standing in a secondary school
1:52 Children holding up signs of encouragement as the relief workers pass them by
1:57 Reunion
2:07 A soldier feeding a baby
2:15 A student holds onto his classmate's hand, urging his friend on as they wait for rescuers
2:24 Two soldiers carrying a child who has lost her parents to safety
2:36 The first victim whose rescue was captured on film
2:44 A father wails, surrounded by bodies of children laid out on a schoolyard
2:55 Two children are fed at a shelter point
3:04 A mother waited only to find the body of her child
3:13 A woman is forced to give birth in the open as her husband stays by her side
3:23 Soldiers risking their lives under risky conditions
3:33 Husband consoles their mourning wives