A report on the visit to the region stricken by the Wenchuan Earthquake

The Wenchuan Earthquake with the moment magnitude of 7.9 occurred in Sichuan Province in China on May 12, 2008 at local time 14:28 PM. It was reported that 69,195 people were killed, 373,606 injured, 18,389 missing, 5 million homeless, and 79,852 rescued by July 2, 2008. A group of 8 researchers was sent to Sichuan in June-early July 2008 to investigate damage to infrastructure caused by this earthquake. The aim of the report on the earthquake was to classify damage based on building types, modes of failure, distance from the epicenter, and relevant ground motion parameters. The Wenchuan earthquake occurred as the result of motion of a northeast striking reverse fault on the northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin. The earthquake indicated tectonic stresses resulting from the convergence of crustal materials slowly moving from the high Tibetan Plateau, to the west against strong crust underlying the Sichuan Basin and southeastern China.