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Close-up of China destruction

A close-up look at the damage caused by China's 7.9 magnitude earthquake. John Vause reports from Beichuan

This is what's left after a magnitude 7. 9 earthquake rumbles through a city of more than 20, 000. When the side of the mountain came crashing down, a tidal wave of earth swept everything before it. The pile of wreckage is massive. Survivors make the slow and dangerous climb to the top. Once there, they call out the names of the missing, hoping they'll answer back, but rarely do. This young man's mother has died, she was buried alive when the buildings collapsed. One of the highest peaks in the city of Beichuan is the top of all this dirt, concrete and steel.

"This pile of rubble is probably about five stories tall, it's even higher over there just beyond the destroyed cell phone tower. And just over here is another building which appears to have completely toppled over at right angles."

Cars and trucks were picked up and dumped on top. On the other side of this mountain city, giant boulders came crashing down, smashing buildings from their foundations, flattening cars and people. How close must this person have come to almost making it out alive, killed in the doorway of an apartment building.

Jofen Yin and her brother are looking for her husband.

"This is his photo", she says. Along with a few personal possessions, that's all they find.

There are still survivors, but rescue crews are facing fatigue, and the body bags are being left on the sidewalk, more than a hundred in this street alone.

The longer this rescue operation continues, the less likely the chances of anyone being found alive. In fact here in Beichuan city, there is so much damage, so much destruction that it's unlikely that all the bodies will ever be found, turning this valley into a mass grave.

The Chinese government must soon decide what to do with cities like Beichuan and more importantly for now, what to do with millions of people who are now homeless.

John Vause, CNN, Beichuan, China.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. tidal wave : n-count

A tidal wave is a very large wave, often caused by an earthquake, that flows onto the land and destroys things.

2. boulder : n-count

A boulder is a large rounded rock.

3. body bag : n-count

A body bag is a specially designed large plastic bag which is used to carry a dead body away, for example when someone has been killed in a battle or an accident.

文本参考中文翻译

John Vause 在北川对中国7.9级大地震造成的危害进行近距离报道。

这就是7.9级大地震肆虐这个拥有20，000人口的城市以后的景象。山体滑坡，地震波横扫挡在面前的一切。废墟琳琅满目。幸存者冒着危险缓慢地向高处攀爬。他们曾经在那里呼唤失踪者的名字，希望能够得到回答，但是，没有。这个年轻小伙则的妈妈去世了，当建筑坍塌时，她被活活埋在下面。北川的最高峰也坍塌了，只剩下一堆钢筋水泥。

“这堆废墟原来应该是五层楼高的建筑，那边被损坏的手机信号塔还要更高。那边的另外一座建筑现在已经完全倾斜了。”

汽车和卡车已经完全翻转了。在这座山城的另外一边，一座大圆石倒塌，将建筑毁坏，砸坏了汽车和行人。这个人应该已经离逃生不远了，他就在公寓的门口被活活砸死了。

任娇芬和她的弟弟正在寻找她的丈夫。

“这是他的照片，”她说。他们还发现了一些私人物品，但就是没有找到人。

但是仍然有一些幸存者。搜救人员已经精疲力尽，装尸袋排在路边，仅仅这条路上，已经发现了100多个死者了。

搜救进行的时间越长，发现生存者的可能性越小。实际上，北川县城已经被毁坏到这种程度，不可能所有的尸体都被发现。

中国政府必须马上做出决定，怎样处理北川这样的城市，更重要的是，怎样处置数百万无家可归的人。