'Thousands dead' in Chinese quake
Rescue workers dig to free someone trapped in the rubble of Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, China
Rescue workers have been trying to reach students of Juyuan Middle School
A powerful earthquake is reported to have killed at least 7,000 people in China's south-western Sichuan province, up to 5,000 of them in just one county.
Many more are feared killed and injured in other parts of the country after the quake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, struck at 1428 local time (0628 GMT).
At least 50 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a school where an estimated 900 students were buried.
President Hu Jintao has urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims.
The epicentre of the earthquake was about 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital.
Because the earthquake struck in the middle of the day, it is feared that many schoolchildren may be among the victims.
Cries for help
One of the worst-hit areas appears to be Beichuan county, part of the Mianyang city municipal area, about 50km from the epicentre.
Map of earthquake epicentre
Some 80% of buildings there were reported to have been destroyed, leaving between 3,000 and 5,000 people dead and up to 10,000 injured.
Meanwhile hundreds of people were reported to have been buried in two collapsed chemical plants in Shifang in Sichuan, and at least five other schools were reported to have collapsed.
And there are fears the death toll could turn out to be much higher once the damage in Wenchuan county - the epicentre - is assessed, says BBC China analyst Shirong Chen.
The area is very rugged, full of mountains and valleys and a number of roads are connected with bridges from one mountain top to the next, he says.
RECENT CHINA QUAKES
March, 2008: 7.2 quake in Xinjiang - damage limited
February 2003: 6.8 quake in Xinjiang - at least 94 dead, 200 hurt
January 1998: 6.2 quake in rural Hebei - at least 47 dead, 2,000 hurt
April 1997: 6.6 quake hits Xinjiang - 9 dead, 60 hurt
January 1997: 6.4 quake in Xinjiang - 50 dead, 40 hurt
In pictures: China earthquake
'Buried teenagers crying for help'
There were harrowing reports from the scene of a school collapse in Dujiangyan city - about 100km (60 miles) from the epicentre - where 900 students were buried and 50 dead.
Teenagers buried beneath the rubble of the three-storey Juyuan Middle School building were struggling to break free, while others were crying out for help, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Parents were watching as cranes excavated the site. Villagers rushed to help with the rescue.
Two girls said they escaped because they had "run faster than others".
Fast response
Dozens of aftershocks have been reported since the quake, which was felt in Beijing, 1,545km (960 miles) away, and the Thai capital Bangkok, 1,800km (1,200 miles) away.
It was the strongest to hit Sichuan province in more than 30 years, Xinhua said.作者: 芝麻香香 时间: 2008-5-12 12:53
'Thousands dead' in Chinese quake
Rescue workers dig to free someone trapped in the rubble of Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, China
Rescue workers have been trying to reach students of Juyuan Middle School
Between 3,000 and 5,000 people may have been killed by an earthquake measuring 7.8 in just one county of south-western China's Sichuan province, reports say.
Some 10,000 people are also feared to have been injured in Beichuan county.
Desperate efforts are under way to find survivors. One school that collapsed has buried an estimated 900 students.
President Hu Jintao has urged "all-out" efforts to rescue victims of the quake, which hit 92km (57 miles) from Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital.
Cries for help
There are harrowing reports from the scene of the school collapse in Dujiangyan city - about 100km (60 miles) from the epicentre.
Map of earthquake epicentre
Teenagers buried beneath the rubble of the three-storey Juyuan Middle School building were struggling to break free, while others were crying out for help, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Parents were watching as cranes excavated the site. Villagers rushed to help with the rescue.
Two girls said they escaped because they had "run faster than others".作者: Enoch 时间: 2008-5-12 14:51
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