Canton, May 28.
The Chinese authorities here estimate that at least 600 persons were killed and 800 wounded as the result of Japanese air raids on Canton today. Up to this afternoon, 65 bodies are stated to have been recovered.
The main target of the raiders appears to have been the Wongsha Rail-Way Station, which lies in the heart of densely populated district neat Shameen, The station was bombed four separate times, and more, than 100 Chinese houses around it are slated by the Chinese authorities to have been destroyed.
"A. passenger train in which a Briton, Mr. J. C. E. Rye, of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Co.'s Hankow branch, and several German women and children had arrived in Canton this morning was completely wrecked.
Cargo in the station compound, including a large quantity of wood-coll from Hankow, was set on fire.
The Chinese authorities also allege that rescue workers who went to the Wongsha district after the first attack Were, bombed. and. machine-gunned Guring the second raid. They officially announce that 40 of the rescuers were Kailled, and 50 others injured city in Confusion Canton City, across the creek from Shameen, presented a scene of the utmost contusion during the raids. Thousands of Chinese, thrown into panic, milled everywhere, and num Bers of them tried to eross the creek to Shameen in sampans.
"The gates leading into Shameen were, however, all closed, and volun~ Yeers' and naval parties manned the entrances to prevent the mobs from swarming in.
On the sounding of the frst air-raid alarm, thousands of Chinese rushed {othe waterfront to obtain the sheller which its proximity to the foreign settlement affords. The casualty ist, the Chinese authorities assert, was consequently minimized.
Other parts of Canton were also attacked. scores of bombs being dropped.
"A block of houses was destroyed Ju. the Central Park, near the Sun Yateton Memorial Hail, causing what the Chinese authorities describe as "heavy casualties." One bomb reporied to have scored a direct, hit fon the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Mieelf, with the result that it was badly damaged.
"The Tungshan district was among the areas attacked by. the Japanese planes. The raiders could be seen plainly from windows. in Shameen, Which rattled ax the bombs exploded.
Numbers of these windows wore shattered when two large bombs landed within 0 yards of the settlement.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.