According to this Zinhua article they can't reach the area of the epicenter
because of all the debris blocking the roads. The city closest to it has a population of 100k plus.
URGENT: Sichuan quake death toll rises to 8,533
www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-12 23:37:24 Print
CHENGDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Monday's earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province has climbed to 8,533, according to
local authorities.
The figure climbed from 7,651 provided earlier Monday night by the temporary headquarters for disaster relief headed by Premier Wen Jiabao in
Sichuan.
Sources with the headquarters said casualties are being tallied in other areas affected by the massive quake, and detailed information is being
collected on the damage.
The number of casualties is expected to rise as further destruction is reported. Authorities are yet to reach Wenchuan County, which sits at the
epicenter of the earthquake with a population of about 112,000.
In Beichuan County, close to Wenchuan, the number of deaths is estimated at more than 3,000, as 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed by the
quakes.
Li Chongxi, deputy secretary of Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, led a rescue team to Wenchuan, but was stranded at
Dujiangyan City.
"We are doing everything we can, but the roads are blanketed with rocks and boulders," Li said.
Rescuers were clearing the debris to reach the quake-hit sites as quickly as possible, he said. Telecommunications links to the county had also
been cut.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
Related Stories
[edit on 5-12-2008 by worldwatcher]