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Quake Mourning: Torch Relay Delayed

by jordan | May 18, 2008 at 06:03 am | 186 views | 2 comments | 2 recommendations

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China has announced three days of mourning for victims of the recent earthquake, including a delay of the Olympic torch relay.

The torch relay suspension will begin on Monday, the organising committee said in a statement on its website.

The decision marks the latest setback for the relay, which was supposed to be a months-long celebration of Beijing's hosting of the Olympics but has continually been disrupted.

Pro-Tibet demonstrators disrupted the relay in London, Paris and San Francisco to protest against China's crackdown on unrest in the Himalayan region, which broke out in mid-March and spread to neighbouring regions.

It will begin with a three-minute silence at 1428 (0628 GMT), exactly a week after the quake struck the south-western Sichuan province.

The number of confirmed deaths has now risen to 32,477, but officials say the final toll may reach 50,000. More than 220,000 people have been injured.

As Beijing is known for its control of domestic news reportage, it remains to be seen how accurate the numbers mentioned above really are. Meanwhile, people are turning toward the Internet to bridge the distance between those affected and those trying to help, as sites spring up for everything from virtual memorials to child adoption services.

Chinese people on Sunday took their mourning over Monday's devastating earthquake to the Internet, leaving virtual flowers in an online memorial.

Leading websites offered links to the site, www.china5000.org.cn/flower/, which went online at 2:28 pm (0628 GMT), the exact moment that the 7.9-magnitude earthquake ravaged southwestern Sichuan province last Monday.

Web users can send "flowers" or offer condolences for one day, after which it will turn into a permanent online memorial, it said.

By 6:30 pm (1030 GMT), more than 34,500 people had offered virtual flowers, according to the site.