Update: China quake kills nearly 9,000, toll likely to soar

Chongqing, China - China's most devastating earthquake in three decades killed nearly 9,000 people on Monday, with the toll likely to soar as authorities struggle to reach casualties in large areas cut off from relief.

The earthquake that hit China's southwestern province of Sichuan killed 8,533 people, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday, citing the provincial government.

Update: 5 dead in SW China earthquake

Chongqing -- Five people were confirmed dead in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality on Monday afternoon after an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale toppled two school buildings and a water tower.

Four students died in Chongqing's outer Liangping County when the earthquake toppled the Wenhua Township Primary School at about 2:30 p.m. At least 100 children were injured, the local government said.

Powerful earthquake shakes China

©BBC News

Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for "all-out" efforts to rescue victims of an earthquake measuring 7.8 that has hit south-west China, say reports.

The quake struck 57 miles (92km) north-west of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, at 1428 (0628 GMT).

China's state-run Xinhua news agency said Premier Wen Jiabao was travelling to the area and troops were being sent to help with disaster relief efforts.

The extent of the damage is not clear and there are no casualty reports yet.

Volcano's Deadly Ash Harming Stranded Animals in Chile

Tens of thousands of animals have been trapped under a blanket of deadly ash in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in southern Chile.

The long-dormant Chaitén volcano began spewing an enormous plume of ash visible from space and scattered debris over towns and villages on May 2.

Residents within a 30-mile (50-kilometer) radius of the volcano were forced to evacuate the area, which includes Chaitén - the town nearest the volcano - as well as the Futaleufú Valley, a rural zone populated largely by small farmers.

©AP Photo/Mario Mendoza

Abandoned cattle are seen under a plume of smoke from the nearby Chaitén volcano on May 6, 2008. Many small farmers were forced to leave their livestock behind as the volcano - which erupted May 2 - continued to spew fiery debris. On Thursday the Chilean government announced a plan to evacuate the animals, the only source of income for many local residents.

Are Global Warmists Pulling a Cool Fast One?

Mounting evidence of lower temperature trends despite rising atmospheric CO2 levels is becoming a real problem for the greenhouse gas crowd. And reports that the cooling appears to follow a period of dormant solar activity aren't likely to ease their anxieties.

Indeed, without an immediate alarmist course correction, years of "the science is settled" campaigning could prove for naught, as prolonged temperature dips decimate the primary anthropogenic argument. After all, Lord Gore has shouted the IPCC's proclamation of a 0.3°C warming over the next decade from virtually every rooftop. Given new data projecting the contrary, he and his green hordes will need to find a way to not only explain the error, but keep the AGW dream alive.