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China quake toll close to 15,000 China quake toll close to 15,000
(10 minutes later)
Nearly 15,000 people died in the devastating earthquake that hit China's Sichuan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Nearly 15,000 people died in the devastating earthquake that hit China's Sichuan province, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.
Thousands more are still trapped in the rubble, two days after the 7.9 quake struck, causing landslides and razing homes, schools and whole villages. Thousands more are still trapped in the rubble two days after the 7.9 quake struck, causing landslides and razing homes, schools and whole villages.
China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was flying to the epicentre to see relief work, having met survivors elsewhere.China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was flying to the epicentre to see relief work, having met survivors elsewhere.
Troops have been mobilised and aid has been dropped to cut-off areas.Troops have been mobilised and aid has been dropped to cut-off areas.
Officials reached the town of Yingxiu, in Wenchuan County, to find the devastation was worse than expected - out of the town's population of 10,000, only 2,300 have been found alive.Officials reached the town of Yingxiu, in Wenchuan County, to find the devastation was worse than expected - out of the town's population of 10,000, only 2,300 have been found alive.
Poor weather has continued to hamper aid efforts, and rescuers have been forced to trek to areas cut off by the quake damage and search through the rubble with their bare hands. The head of a police unit sent into the disaster zone said the losses had been severe.
Officials for the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Railways spoke told reporters road conditions were impeding relief work. "Some towns basically have no houses left," Wang Yi, told Sichuan Online news site. "They have all been razed to the ground."
Slow progress
Poor weather has hampered aid efforts, and rescuers have been forced to trek to areas cut off by the quake damage and search through the rubble with their bare hands.
Officials for the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Railways told reporters that road conditions were impeding relief work.
"We may have 10 machines but given the road condition only one excavator can used at one time, and we can only push forward one metre by one metre," one said."We may have 10 machines but given the road condition only one excavator can used at one time, and we can only push forward one metre by one metre," one said.
The earthquake on Monday was the worst to strike China in three decades - since more than 240,000 people were killed in Tangshan in 1976. The earthquake on Monday was the worst to strike China since more than 240,000 people were killed in Tangshan in 1976.