When buildings collapse following an earthquake anywhere in the world, the first instinct is to presume Mother Nature is at fault. The second is to wonder why the buildings weren’t built to account for the risk of earthquakes. The third step is where people go really wrong. They blame the builders for failing to observe building codes and the government for failing to enforce them.
This is the state of commentary on the hellish situation in Dujiangyan, China, where tens of thousands of people died – including thousands of children in as many as 7,000 schoolrooms.
A particular focus of much coverage has been the Xianjian Primary School, where hundreds of kids died. A parent of one of the children told the New York Times: "This is not a natural disaster. This is not good steel. It doesn't meet standards. They stole our children."
Now people are demanding that the local government be held accountable. More...
See also: China's earthquake provokes a shockwave of solidarity...
And this: China's earthquake: where are the children?
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