Beijing - Troops on Friday rescued at least 17 people who
were buried under rubble in the earthquake-devastated province of
Sichuan, some survivors escaping after being trapped for more than
four days.
President Hu Jintao travelled to Sichuan to rally rescue teams for
the 'most crucial phase' of relief work in Sichuan, while the
confirmed death toll rose to 21,500, one day after the government
warned that more than 50,000 could have died in the quake.
Troops in Beichuan town, close to the epicentre, rescued 17 people
and reported hearing more 'weak yelling for help' from under rubble
at the Beichuan middle school, where up to 1,000 people were thought
to have been buried.
The troops had rescued another student late Thursday, 80 hours
after the quake, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Among those saved in Beichuan on Friday was Feng Shaorong, a man
in his 40s who was pulled out of rubble about 97 hours after the
quake, the agency said.
In nearby Hanwang town, rescuers also reported signs of life in
the rubble, it said.
'The possiblity is very great that we can rescue the buried,' it
quoted one rescuer as saying in Hanwang.
'Giving-up is excluded from our dictionary,' the rescuer said.
Hu's plane landed in Mianyang city, which administers Hanwang.
'We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all
difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts,'
state broadcaster CCTV and other state media quoted Hu as saying from
a plane en route to Sichuan.
Hu said relief work was carried out in a 'forceful, orderly and
effective' way but added that rescue services still faced a 'daunting
challenge.'
'Saving lives is still the top priority of our work,' he said,
even though the 'golden time' of the first 72 hours after Monday's
earthquake had passed.
'We need to make greater efforts in treating the injured,
restoring the transportation, telecommunications and power supply
infrastructure in quake-stricken areas and ensure basic living
conditions for local residents,' he said.
Premier Wen Jiabao has stayed in Sichuan since Monday to oversee
relief work, flying by helicopter to some of the worst-hit areas on
Wednesday and Thursday.
On Friday, Wen said the government would do 'whatever the country
is capable of to combat the disaster.'
The scale of the disaster after Monday's quake, which
international seismologists upgraded to 7.9 on the Richter scale,
prompted the government to allow foreign rescue services into China
for the first time.
A Japanese team of 31 rescuers started work in Sichuan's
Guanzhuang town on Friday, where some 700 people were believed to
buried under rubble.
A second Japanese team was scheduled to join them in Sichuan, and
teams from Russia, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan were also in or
on the way to the province to help with rescue efforts.
Some 20,000 people were evacuated on Thursday as workers reopened
two key roads to towns close to the epicentre of the quake.
But damage to several dams and rivers posed new threats to some
quake-hit towns and villages, and officials were also concerned about
the potential for epidemic diseases to spread in the area.
More than 140,000 troops and paramilitary police were sent to
earthquake-hit areas, where several towns close to the epicentre were
nearly razed.
Dozens of extra helicopters and planes were brought in on Thursday
to drop food, clothing and bedding to residents of Sichuan's
worst-hit counties of Beichuan and Wenchuan.
theantibushMay 16th, 2008 - 23:46:21
I am very proud of the way the Chinese government and party are handling this unfortunate disaster.
Some of my family are from that area.
I really pray for the people.
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