China quake: Official death toll rises to 29,000

Sat, May 17 06:43 PM

Raghavendra Beijing, May 17 (PTI) The official death toll from China's devastating earthquake has risen to nearly 29,000 today amid fears that it may climb to over 50,000 as rescuers scoured remote areas in grim search for survivors with tens of thousands still feared buried five days after the disaster struck the country. The State Council or the cabinet Information Office said the death toll from Monday's quake has risen to 28,881.

The 7.8 magnitude quake has also left 198,347 persons injured and devastated 3.13 million houses and damaged 15.61 million more, official Xinhua news agency said. The official death toll was put at over 22,000 yesterday, a day after the government said over 50,000 people were feared dead.

More than 10,600 people still remained buried under the rubble in Sichuan province where death toll mounted to 28,300, the agency said quoting officials of the provincial government. As distraught rescuers waged a difficult battle digging and clawing through the rubble, their efforts also paid off as they found many survivors.

A German tourist was pulled out alive from the wreckage in Wenchuan county, nearly 114 hours after the deadly earthquake. Hundreds of people were also being evacuated near a lake that is threatening to burst in the disaster zone, after multiple landslides set off by the quake blocked parts of the Qingzhu river in Hongguang township in Qingchuan city.

More debris caused by aftershocks were likely to push up the water level. PTI.

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