China’s earthquake survivors endure frigid temperatures and mourn the dead

By NG HAN GUAN and KEN MORITSUGU
Associated Press

YANGWA, China (AP) — Surrounded by destruction, the relatives of an earthquake victim are mourning her death in temporary shelters and frigid temperatures high in the mountains of northwest China. Ma Lianqiang stood next to the body of his deceased wife, wrapped in blankets, in a tent-like temporary shelter lit by a single overhead light. A Monday night earthquake had caved in and crumbled houses in the remote, mountainous area. Chinese media reports said at least 135 people died and more than 900 were injured. Most of the casualties were in Gansu province and the rest in the neighboring province of Qinghai. Searchers in Qinghai were looking for 12 people missing after landslides had slammed into houses.