China quake toll "to top 50,000"

More than 50,000 people may have died in the earthquake that devastated parts of China on Monday, state media say. The warning came after the government confirmed the death toll had risen to 19,500, as rescue efforts continue to search for thousands still trapped. China quake toll "to top 50,000" About 10 million people across Sichuan province have been directly affected by the 7.9 quake, the media said. China is mobilizing 30,000 extra troops to Sichuan to help the 50,000 already involved in rescue efforts. Beijing says it will accept foreign aid and has agreed to help from rescue teams from Japan and its rival Taiwan. Correspondents say the death toll, which rose from 14,866 on Wednesday, is expected to rise further as rescue workers dig more victims out of collapsed buildings. People are still being found alive - an 11-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble of a school in Yingxiu 68 hours after it was destroyed. The BBC in Hanwang says rescuers and relatives of those trapped reject suggestions time has run out for finding survivors. At Juyuan Middle School, near Dujiangyan about 50km from the epicenter, parents were trying to reach 900 children still trapped in the rubble. "It's not that we don't trust the rescuers," local resident Deng Yuehong told Associated Press Television on Thursday. "They have done a lot of work to search for survivors but they couldn't search all the places in such a large area here and there may be some places that they ignored. The Chinese government has appealed for basic equipment to help in the rescue operation. It said hammers, cranes, shovels and rubber boats were urgently needed. The health ministry says there will also be an increasing demand for medicines and sophisticated medical equipment as survivors are treated for bone fractures, crushed internal organs and kidney failure. More than 10,000 medical workers, police and volunteers have been sent to Beichuan County, one of the hardest-hit areas in Sichuan province, where up to 5,000 are thought to have died. Deputy Health Minister Gao Qiang says more than 64,040 people have been treated since Monday's earthquake - 12,587 of them are seriously injured, Xinhua reports. Officials say about 10 million people have been affected by the quake. Many are in refugee camps, without proper shelter, food or clean water. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has issued an emergency appeal for medical help, food, water and tents. Gu Qinghui, a member of the Red Cross assessment team told AP television: "I just came back from Beichuan County this morning, basically the whole county has been destroyed, there is no Beichuan County anymore. "No-one knows what has happened in particular areas, in the villages. I am sure that the numbers [death toll] will just go up continuing day by day." Tonnes of aid have been dropped from aircraft into isolated or inaccessible places in the province. China says its contributions to the relief effort, in both cash and goods to the quake-hit areas, had risen to 1.34bn yuan ($192mn). Members of the public have also donated millions of yuan in both cash and goods. The devastation in the wake of the earthquake (FoNet)

China quake toll "to top 50,000"

About 10 million people across Sichuan province have been directly affected by the 7.9 quake, the media said.

China is mobilizing 30,000 extra troops to Sichuan to help the 50,000 already involved in rescue efforts.

Beijing says it will accept foreign aid and has agreed to help from rescue teams from Japan and its rival Taiwan.

Correspondents say the death toll, which rose from 14,866 on Wednesday, is expected to rise further as rescue workers dig more victims out of collapsed buildings.

People are still being found alive - an 11-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble of a school in Yingxiu 68 hours after it was destroyed.

The BBC in Hanwang says rescuers and relatives of those trapped reject suggestions time has run out for finding survivors.

At Juyuan Middle School, near Dujiangyan about 50km from the epicenter, parents were trying to reach 900 children still trapped in the rubble.

"It's not that we don't trust the rescuers," local resident Deng Yuehong told Associated Press Television on Thursday.

"They have done a lot of work to search for survivors but they couldn't search all the places in such a large area here and there may be some places that they ignored.

The Chinese government has appealed for basic equipment to help in the rescue operation. It said hammers, cranes, shovels and rubber boats were urgently needed.

The health ministry says there will also be an increasing demand for medicines and sophisticated medical equipment as survivors are treated for bone fractures, crushed internal organs and kidney failure.

More than 10,000 medical workers, police and volunteers have been sent to Beichuan County, one of the hardest-hit areas in Sichuan province, where up to 5,000 are thought to have died.

Deputy Health Minister Gao Qiang says more than 64,040 people have been treated since Monday's earthquake - 12,587 of them are seriously injured, Xinhua reports.

Officials say about 10 million people have been affected by the quake. Many are in refugee camps, without proper shelter, food or clean water.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has issued an emergency appeal for medical help, food, water and tents.

Gu Qinghui, a member of the Red Cross assessment team told AP television: "I just came back from Beichuan County this morning, basically the whole county has been destroyed, there is no Beichuan County anymore.

"No-one knows what has happened in particular areas, in the villages. I am sure that the numbers [death toll] will just go up continuing day by day."

Tonnes of aid have been dropped from aircraft into isolated or inaccessible places in the province.

China says its contributions to the relief effort, in both cash and goods to the quake-hit areas, had risen to 1.34bn yuan ($192mn).

Members of the public have also donated millions of yuan in both cash and goods.