The death toll from China's earthquake could soar to more than
50,000, state media reported, as rescuers struggled to help
survivors and hope faded for thousands buried under rubble.
Some 20,000 are confirmed dead after Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake
and 25,000 were buried in areas rescuers have struggled to reach,
battling landslides, buckled roads and collapsed bridges.
Half the epicentre town of Yingxiu, where corpses are lined along
the river, has been flattened and 90% of the buildings remaining
look unsafe.
Zhang Yuejiao, 18, ran out of her school as it collapsed. Some of
the biggest casualties appear to have come from school buildings
across Sichuan, a province as big as France.
"We have been waiting to try to find out what happened to my
brother," she said calmly. "His school collapsed and we haven't
been able to find him."
Helicopters arrived every 15 minutes to take the injured away and
soldiers had walked in 40km to help.
The Communist Party told officials to ensure social stability as
the quake spawned rumours of chemical spills, fears of dam bursts
and scenes of collective desperation.
Xinhua news agency said 17 malicious rumourmongers had been
punished for spreading "false information, sensational statements
and sapping public confidence".
State Media warned of rising risk of disease from unburied bodies
and primitive sewage facilities, while calling for faster
distribution of food, water, clothing and tents.
Rescuers in the city of Dujiangyan wrapped corpses dragged from the
rubble in tarpaulins and sped them to morgues.
They were so busy that a notice outside one collapsed school asked
parents to search for children at the morgue in shifts.
About 130,000 army and paramilitary troops assisted the search and
rescue effort in Sichuan, sifting through dozens of towns turned to
rubble. Japanese rescuers were due to arrive late Thursday, part of
an outpouring of international aid.
Hopes dimming
But three days after the quake, hopes of pulling survivors from the
ruins dimmed and the waves of rescuers appear to be hampered by
lack of specialised equipment.
Still, there were moments of joy and relief. "Thank you, thank
you," one 22-year-old said after she was eventually pulled to
safety, covering her face against the light in Dujiangyan. She had
been trapped, unable to move, under the ruins of a hospital.
A teenage girl told Xinua how she and her classmates sang pop songs
together as they lay trapped and injured in the ruins of their high
school.
A teenage girl was freed from the rubble of her school at the cost
an amputated leg, and a three-year-old girl was rescued after being
shielded from the rubble by her dead parents.
Tourists from Britain, the United States and France were airlifted from a panda reserve, but 893 foreigners are still trapped.
Victims include a German, the Foreign Ministry said.
The strain from tens of thousands of homeless was growing.
"There is enough food but not enough water. We have only had
bottled mineral water the past few days, nothing to cook with,"
said Wang Yujie, a teacher whose school withstood the quake.
More aid was arriving and efforts at co-ordination were also
improving, with Sichuan setting up a hotline for victims and
ambulances with Beijing licence plates on the roads.
More than 12.5 tonnes of relief goods had been airdropped and
scores of helicopters were flying in rescuers and aid.
Officials said quilts, tents, food and satellite phones were needed
most.
The Health Ministry said medical needs ranged from basics like
bandages and antibiotics to sophisticated equipment such as
ventilators and kidney dialysis machines.
Angry residents
In some villages near the badly hit area of Beichuan, angry
residents complained they had had little to eat and were forced to
drink contaminated water.
Many are sleeping outside or in makeshift shelters where the lack
of water and blocked toilets has raised fears of disease.
The minister for Water Resources said dam damage was widespread,
compounded by communication problems. He warned of blocked
waterways and the difficulty of draining them.
Premier Wen Jiabao, a geologist himself, has toured the disaster
zone urging on workers and comforting orphaned children.
The disaster area is also home to China's chief nuclear weapons
research lab in Mianyang, as well as several secretive atomic
sites, but no nuclear power stations.
The China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corp reported that
several of its facilities in Sichuan were damaged, but did not
mention any radiation leaks.
A Western expert with knowledge of the Mianyang lab said it was unlikely it was at serious risk.
Are you a Kiwi in China who has been affected by the earthquake?
You can tell us about your experience by emailing ONE News or ONE News reporter Melissa Stokes .
