A man walks in front of a banner that reads ' Painful Mourning the Death of Innocent Children ', in reference to the 12 May 2008 earthquake , at the Fuxing Number Two Elementary School in Wufu town , Mianzhu city , Sichuan province , China , 26 May 2008 . Parents gathered on the grounds of the destroyed school , furious that the surrounding buildings were mostly untouched during the quake but the school was completely annihilated and 127 children died there . The three - story school had only one exit 1 . 2 metres wide and parents are demanding an investigation and punishment of responsible officials . State media has reported that at least 5 , 498 children have been left on their own as a result the quake , either by becoming orphans or being seperated from parents . The official death toll is over 62 , 000 with 23 , 000 others missing . EPA / MICHAEL REYNOLDS < 저작권자 ⓒ 2007 연 합 뉴 스 . 무단 전재 - 재 배포 금지 . >< 연합뉴스 긴급 속보 를 SMS 로 ! SKT 사용 자 는 무료 체험 ! >