China opens first memorial park on May 12 quake ruins

A girl presents flowers for the victims in the May 12  Wenchuan earthquake in Donghekou Earthquake Relics Park in Qingchuan county of southwest China's Sichuan Province,  Nov. 12, 2008. Donghekou Earthquake Relics Park, the first memorial park of Wenchuan Earthquake, opend to the public  on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zhong Min)

The quake centered in Wenchuan County left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.

More than 31,000 aftershocks have been reported since, with the strongest measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale.

In terms of the intensity and scope of destruction, the May 12 quake is believed to have surpassed the 7.8-magnitude quake in 1976 in Tangshan, northern Hebei Province, which claimed more than240,000 lives.

Editor:Du Xiaodan