Rescue & Aid

National day of mourning to honor individuals

By Nie Ligao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-20 13:53
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A second national day of mourning has been set for the loss of ordinary lives, a source said Tuesday.

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China will hold a national memorial service on Wednesday to remember the victims of last week's major earthquake in Qinghai. The national flags will fly at half-mast at home and at Chinese embassies and consulates overseas.

This is the second time the state will hold a national service for rank-and-file people since the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. It provides an opportunity for the country to fulfill its responsibility to individual lives and for people across the country to deliver their deep condolences, the source added.

China announced an unprecedented three-day national mourning period for the individual lives lost in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, which claimed over 69,227 lives and left 17,923 missing.