Tears and resolve mark candlelight vigil for victims of China earthquake

A service of remembrance and hope was conducted in Sage Chapel tonight in memory of the more than 21,000 victims killed in the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck Sichuan province, China, May 12. Another 150,000 people were injured and await medical treatment and water.

"While we're sitting here, 27,000 people who are trapped in lumps of earth, steel and concrete are waiting for our help," said Cornell graduate student Shawn Kong of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. "While we're sitting here, tens of thousands of families are crying over the loss of their husbands and wives, parents and children. ... While we are sitting here, there are a lot of things we can do to help them."

In remarks that were simultaneously translated into Chinese, Cornell President David Skorton said, "We gather as Cornellians and also as members of the human family to remember those who have lost their lives in the recent earthquake in Chengdu and to extend our hearts to those who must find the strength to go on."

Skorton noted that members of the Cornell community await news of loved ones or are mourning losses. In 2007 Cornell enrolled 462 students from mainland China, who comprise the third-largest group of international students on campus. He continued: "Our hearts go out to those in China who we have never met, but whose misfortune touches us deeply, and also to those in Myanmar, who are confronting the devastation caused by the recent cyclone."

Fighting back tears, Cornell senior Mimi Yang, a native of the Sichuan province city of Shifang, showed photos of corpses lining streets, including the bodies of many children, victims of collapsed schools. She said two chemical plants also collapsed in Shifang, trapping hundreds of workers and releasing toxic chemicals into the air.

"Many of the cities in the mountainous regions were difficult to reach even before the earthquake struck," Yang said. "These challenges are exacerbated by the landslides, which destroyed the roads as well as the falling giant rocks which thundered down during the earthquake."

She said civilian volunteers have come forward with shovels to sift through the debris in search of survivors and international aid has been arriving, including aid from members of the Cornell community. "Time is running out," Yang said. "It's been four days since the earthquake struck, but there have still been survivors found among the rubble. There is still hope ... To all the victims of the earthquake, may you rest in peace."

Donations were collected from those attending the service, who were asked to light candles and reflect on the tragedy.

To make online donations, the CSSA recommends contributing through Mercy Corps, Tsinghua Challenge Education or the American Red Cross.

 

Media Contact

Media Relations Office