SHIHO FUKADA

CHINA EARTHQUAKE: AFTER A SCHOOL COLLAPSED

In the May 12, 2008 earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan Province, nearly 70,000 people were killed, with many thousands more missing and likely dead. Among them, at least 9,000 of them were schoolchildren who were crushed to death by falling school buildings.

Why did so many schools collapse? Victims of family, most of them are farmers and migrant workers, suspect corruption was behind these poorly built schools, known as "tofu construction.” The government promised further investigation initially but later most of the parents were forced to sign the agreement that they will accept money and will not further hold govenment accountable for further investigation.

Family members grieve over their child, who was killed by collapse of Juyuan Middle School caused by earthquake, Sichuan, China, May2008.
  
Mother holds a hand of her dead daughter who was killed by collapse of Juyuan Middle School caused by earthquake, Sichuan, China May 2008.
  
Family members grieve over their child, who was killed by collapse of Juyuan Middle School caused by earthquake, Sichuan, China, May2008.
     
  
A child killed by school collapse lay in a morgue, Sichuan, China May 2008.
  
Mother holds a picture of her son at Juyuan Middle School, Sichuan, China, May 2008.
  
Children stand in the site where Juyuan Middle School used to stand, Sichuan, China, May2008.
     
  
Family members and friends moan the victims of school collapse at the debris of a collapsed Xinjian Primary School, Sichuan, China, June 2008.
   
Family members grieve during the memorial service for children who were killed by the collapse at Juyuan Middle School, Sichuan, China, May 2008.
  
Jiang Guohua, the Communist Party secretary of Mianzhu city, kneels on the ground pleading with protesting parents, whose children were killed in a school collapse during the earthquake, not to complain to higher authorities, Sichuan, China, May 2008. Despite Jiang's pleas, the parents of the 127 children who died in the collapse kept marching and eventually met with higher officials, who told them the government would investigate.
     
  
A desk is seen at Liuhe community school damaged by the earthquake, Sichuan, China May 2008.