On the afternoon of May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan Province, a mountainous region in Western China. By the next day, the death toll stood at 12,000, with another 18,000 still missing. Over 15 million people live in the affected area, including almost 4 million in the city of Chengdu. Nearly 2,000 of the dead were students and teachers caught in schools that collapsed.

As at 19th May, the death toll continues to rise in Wen Chuan County, close to the epicenter, with over 34073 confirmed dead and almost 245108 people thought to be still trapped in the rubble.

Towards this earthquake, The9 Limited, a leading online game operator in China, announced that it will suspend the operations of World of Warcraft, Soul of The Ultimate Nation, Granado Espada, Joyful Journey West, and MU from May 19, 2008 to May 21, 2008, in response to the government's calling for three days of mourning for the earthquake tragedy in Southwest China. The operations of the foregoing games will be reestablished starting from the calendar day of May 22, 2008.

Hope everything will be fine soon

Click pic for more details about this earthquake.