Friday, May 23, 2008 Bolide has donated $2,000 to help the victims of the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China’s Sichuan province. We sincerely thank our employees, friends and all the donors to their generous support. Official figures state that 69,197 are confirmed dead, including 68,636 in Sichuan province, and 374,176 injured, with 18,340 listed as missing, but these figures may further increase as more reports come in. The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless, though the number could be as high as 11 million. It is the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people.

On Monday, May 12, a major earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, jolted southwestern China’s Sichuan Province. Between 64 and 104 major aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4.0 to 6.1, were recorded within 72 hours of the main quake. According to one Chinese official count, there had been 20,964 total aftershocks; the strongest aftershock measured 6.4 Ms. The quake destroyed thousands buildings in the area, as well as infrastructure like communication networks and electrical towers. Thousands of people died or are missing, and more than 270,000 were injured. The earthquake left an estimated five million people homeless. Many schools were destroyed, including one that had at least 900 students in it. This earthquake is the worst natural disaster to hit China in 30 years.

Thank you for taking action to help survivors and rebuild homes following the devastating earthquake that shook central China.