Death toll rises in China quake upto 10,000 killed
The most powerful earthquake to hit China in 30 years has killed at least 10,000 people in south-western Sichuan province, with thousands more trapped.
Chinese state media said that 10,000 people were thought to be buried in one town alone near the epicentre of the earthquake in Wenchuan County.
Premier Wen Jiabao has called for urgent efforts to reach cut-off areas.
"The situation is worse than we previously estimated and we need more people here to help," he said.
Speaking from the disaster relief headquarters northwest of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, he said roads to towns at the quake's epicentre had to be cleared.
"People's lives and property safety are the top priorities and many people are still trapped in debris," Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
"We must treasure every second and do our utmost to save survivors."
The number of dead is expected to rise as rescue workers access worst-hit areas.
China has deployed 50,000 troops to help with relief efforts, 16,000 of whom are already in the area.
The BBC's Nick Mackie in Dujiangyan says there are hundreds if not thousands of people just sleeping out in the streets under tarpaulins, after torrential rain fell all through the night.
Cries for help
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck on Monday at 1428 local time (0628 GMT) and was felt as far away as Beijing and the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Boulders and landslides are blocking roads in the worst-hit areas and helicopters have been unable to land because of bad weather.
Click the picture to see a zoomed map of earthquake area
In Wenchuan County, a top official, Wang Bin, appealed via satellite phone for outside help.
"We are in urgent need of tents, food, medicine and satellite communications equipment through air drop," he said.
"We also need medical workers to save the injured people here."
In the nearby town of Mianzhu, 10,000 people were thought to be buried and massive landslides had buried roads to outlying villages, Xinhua news agency reported.
Across the region, schools, hospitals and chemical plants were all reported to have been affected.
There were harrowing reports from the scene of a school collapse in Dujiangyan city - south-east of the epicentre - where 900 students were buried and at least 50 killed.
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Source: BBC.