China earth quake affects 10 million people and the quake's final toll could reach 50,000, the Chinese official agencies said. The first foreign rescue workers, since Monday's magnitude 7.9 temblor, were allowed to the scene.
Rescuers pulled out survivors, from the rubble on Friday, who had been buried for four days as a strong aftershock sparked landslides near the epicenter of the earthquake. If someone is trapped but is relatively uninjured, they could survive for a week or even 10 days, and in extreme circumstances two weeks or more. "They could live for a week without food but water is needed" to prevent dehydration," said Jacoby, who heads a medical assistance team in San Diego that responded to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California, Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.
On Friday afternoon, an aftershock rattled parts of central Sichuan province, the official Xinhua News Agency said. A number of vehicles were buried on a road leading to the epicenter, and casualties were unknown. The U.S. Geological Survey said the latest tremor measured magnitude 5.5, one of the strongest among dozens that have shaken the area.
Thousands of parents lost their sole offspring, as the Chinese government permits most couples only one child. The government said it would investigate why so many school buildings collapsed in the quake — destroying about 6,900 classrooms, not including the hardest-hit counties — and severely punish anyone responsible for shoddy construction.
More than 4 million apartments and homes had been damaged or destroyed in Sichuan province, according to Housing Minister Jiang Weixin. Jiang said the water supply situation was "extremely serious" in Sichuan, and not flowing at all in 20 cities and counties.
In the town of Yingxiu, helicopters dropped leaflets urging people to "unite together" and giving survival tips like not to drink dirty water. Power and water remained cut off, forcing dazed, exhausted locals to hike 40 yards up a steep hill to a spring to fetch water. On a hillside, at least 80 corpses in plastic body bags were placed into a trench dug by soldiers.
President Hu Jintao made his first trip to the disaster zone, rallying troops among the massive relief operation of some 130,000 soldiers and police. "The challenge is still severe, the task is still arduous and the time is pressing," Hu was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "Quake relief work has entered into the most crucial phase. We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts."
The first international rescue crews arrived in the disaster area, after China dropped its initial reluctance to accept foreign personnel. Japanese rescuers started work early Friday, and teams from Russia, Singapore and South Korea later joined operations, Xinhua reported. It was the first time ever that China accepted outside professionals for domestic disaster relief, Foreign Ministry counselor Li Wenliang told Xinhua.
The government said it had allocated a total of $772 million for earthquake relief, according to the central bank's Web site, up sharply from $159 million two days ago. China also has received $457 million in donated money and goods for rescue efforts, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, including $83 million from 19 countries and four international organizations. Given the widespread destruction, AIR Worldwide — a catastrophe risk modeling firm — estimated losses to both insured and uninsured property would likely exceed $20 billion. – Various agencies.
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