China quake death toll passes 1,000

"The number of people known to have been killed by a massive quake in China's Qinghai province has risen to 1,144, officials say"

Another 417 are still missing in the remote mountainous region and 11,744 have been injured, a rescue spokesman told the Xinhua news agency.

Thousands have been left homeless, with many having to sleep outdoors in freezing temperatures.

Food, tents and medical supplies are arriving too but rescue workers say there is a critical need for further supplies.
An estimated 15,000 houses have been destroyed in Yushu county, leaving thousands of people homeless people and casualties waiting for help.

The monks have also been helping to collect bodies and prepare them for funerals.

At a foothill under the main monastery of Jiegu township, monks chanted Tibetan Buddhist mantras in front of piles of dead, Reuters news agency said.

"I'd say we've collected a thousand or more bodies here," said Lopu, a monk.

It's easy to look at the initial headlines of these quakes, read the story and then quickly forget and move on to other stories.
This quake will have devastating consequences for this region for years to come as a huge rebuilding process must take place once the dead are buried and the injured are taken care of.

It strikes me that there are so many places in the world facing the same thing - aftershocks, post-traumatic stress, injuries, famine, disease, and often widespread violence following these massive earthquakes. Just recently we have seen the same situations in Haiti, Chile, Indonesia and now China, just to name a few.

There will be more to come - this is just the beginning.