China Struggles to Expand Quake-proof Construction

The powerful earthquake that hit Southwest China earlier this month killed more than 600 people and flattened an estimated 22,500 homes. The tragedy has highlighted the difficulties China faces in extending safety standards for homes in remote areas of its countryside. According to the China Earthquake Administration, most of the homes in the mountainous area of Yunnan, where the quake hit, were made of bricks, wood and mud walls. They were too old and weak to resist an earthquake, the...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - lundi 11 août 2014