Death toll rises in China quake - BBC

A girl is rescued from the rubble of Juyuan school in Dujiangyan

The most powerful earthquake to hit China in 30 years has killed at least 10,000 people in south-western Sichuan province, with thousands more trapped.

Chinese state media said that 10,000 people were thought to remain buried in one town alone near the epicentre of the earthquake in Wenchuan county.

A team of 1,300 troops and medics has now reached Wenchuan, which was largely cut off by the quake.

But rescue efforts are being hampered by heavy rain and badly damaged roads.

Premier Wen Jiabao - a trained geologist - had urged rescuers to clear roads into the worst-hit areas as fast as possible.

"People's lives and property are the top priorities and many people are still trapped in debris," Xinhua news agency quoted Mr Wen as saying in the disaster relief headquarters, north-west of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu.

"We must treasure every second and do our utmost to save survivors."

China has deployed 50,000 troops to help with relief efforts, 16,000 of whom are already in the area.

The health ministry has made an urgent appeal for people to give blood to help the injured.

Cries for help

The quake - now upgraded to 7.9 magnitude - struck on Monday at 1428 local time (0628 GMT) and was felt as far away as Beijing and the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Boulders and landslides are blocking roads in the worst-hit areas and helicopters have been unable to land because of the bad weather.

The 1,300 rescue troops and medics who reached Wenchuan county immediately started searching for survivors and treating the injured, Xinhua reported.

Previously the only contact with the area was when a top official appealed for outside help using a satellite phone.

In the nearby town of Mianzhu, 10,000 people were thought to remain buried and massive landslides had buried roads to outlying villages, Xinhua reported.

Across the region, schools, hospitals and chemical plants were all reported to have been affected.

There were harrowing reports from the scene of a school collapse in Dujiangyan city - south-east of the epicentre - where 900 students were buried and at least 50 killed.

Teenagers buried beneath the rubble of the three-storey Juyuan Middle School building struggled to break free, while others cried out for help.

Another of the worst-hit areas appears to be Beichuan county, about 50km from the epicentre.

Some 80% of buildings there were reported to have been destroyed, leaving between 3,000 and 5,000 people dead and up to 10,000 injured.

Another school collapsed there, leaving more than 1,000 students dead or buried, Xinhua said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people were reported to have been buried in two collapsed chemical plants in Shifang in Sichuan.

More than 150 people were killed in the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, and in Chongqing municipality, Xinhua said.

And there are fears for the safety of staff, tourists - including a group of 15 British visitors - and the panda population at a giant panda research centre at Wolong in Wenchuan, which has not yet been contacted.

But 60 pandas at another breeding centre - in Chengdu - are reportedly safe.

'All-out efforts'

US President George W Bush expressed condolences to victims' families, while Japan offered to send aid.

"The Chinese government are to be commended for their quick and efficient response. The UK stands ready to assist," said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

RECENT CHINA QUAKES
March, 2008: 7.2 quake in Xinjiang - damage limited
February 2003: 6.8 quake in Xinjiang - at least 94 dead, 200 hurt
January 1998: 6.2 quake in rural Hebei - at least 47 dead, 2,000 hurt
April 1997: 6.6 quake hits Xinjiang - 9 dead, 60 hurt
January 1997: 6.4 quake in Xinjiang - 50 dead, 40 hurt

Several strong aftershocks have been reported since the quake, China's worst since 1976 when 242,000 people were killed in Tangshan.

Immediately after the disaster, President Hu Jintao urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims.

The BBC's Quentin Somerville says this is probably the most significant natural disaster to hit China in recent memory, but that the Chinese army has a good record of mobilising and getting people to safety.

He also says it is one of the most open and speedy responses to an emergency he has ever seen from Chinese state media.

The fact the quake was felt in Beijing, he says, means millions of people will feel connected to the disaster and will be watching TV screens closely to see how the government responds.