Rescuers were racing against time to find survivors a day after the strongest quake to hit China in 32 years jolted Sichuan province, demolishing buildings and burying tens of thousands beneath the rubble.
Hundreds of People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers entered Wenchuan county, the epicenter, yesterday and pulled more than 1,000 people from debris. Earlier reports said 3,000 people of the town's total population of 12,000 were known to have survived.
The confirmed national death toll reached more than 12,000 by 2 am today, nearly all of them in Sichuan, according to the temporary disaster relief headquarters headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived in Dujiangyan to oversee the rescue work.
"We will try our best to send milk powder to parents and ensure children do not go hungry," he said yesterday after learning that some infants were running short of food and many people needed drinking water and tents.
He said the rescue work had entered a crucial stage and asked people to remain calm, confident and united.
He comforted a crying child in Mianzhu, saying: "Don't cry. Food will be sent in a short time. Biscuits and milk powder will be sent in a short time."
He told villagers: "I know some of your family and friends have died. We are deeply saddened. Some people are still trapped. We will do our utmost to rescue them."
Rescuers who arrived at Yingxiu Town of Wenchuan on foot yesterday afternoon said the town was inaccessible by road.
The soldiers reported more than 70 percent of the roads in the town were damaged, and almost all bridges had collapsed. Many people were believed to be under the debris.
Previous attempts by rescuers to reach the epicenter "by land, air and water" failed because of landslides, telecommunication breakdown and rain
As of last night, nearly 20,000 soldiers and armed policemen had arrived in Sichuan province, with 30,000 more troops advancing toward the quake-hit regions by planes, trains and trucks, and on foot, the Ministry of Defense said.
Wang Zhenyao, director of the disaster relief department of the ministry, told a press conference yesterday that people trapped in collapsed buildings could survive for up to a week.
Wang, while expressing appreciation for all domestic and foreign donations, said conditions were "not yet ripe" to allow foreign rescue teams into the country.
"At this point, transportation in affected areas is still blocked and it is impossible even for our own rescue teams to reach the disaster-hit areas," he said.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman yesterday also welcomed the international community's aid to China's relief efforts.
Organizers of the Beijing Olympic Games said yesterday that a minute's silence will be observed during future stops of the torch relay to mourn the victims of the quake.
Questions:
1. This week’s earthquake was the strongest to have hit China in how many years?
2. In Wenchuan county how many of the 12,000 population had survived?
3. Which Chinese political figure was quick to arrive at the scene?
Answers:
1. 32.
2. 3000.
3. Premier Wen Jiabao.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
