In Dujiangyan about 900 teenagers were buried under a collapsed three-storey school building. In Beichuan county, just east of the epicenter, 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed and some 10,000 people were injured on top of the 3,000 to 5,000 killed in the district, Xinhua News Agency said. Early reports say eight schools in the region have completely or partially collapsed.

Corrupt building practises may emerge as a contributory factor in this latest tragedy.