LUOSHUI TOWN, China (AP) — Beijing warned the death toll from this week’s earthquake could soar to 50,000, while issuing a public appeal yesterday for rescue equipment as it struggled to cope with the disaster.
More than 72 hours after the quake rattled central China, rescuers appeared to shift from poring through downed buildings for survivors to the grim duty of searching for bodies — with 10 million directly affected by Monday’s temblor.
At least 12,300 people remained buried and 102,100 were injured in Sichuan province, where the quake was centered, the vice governor told reporters.
Hours after saying it will accept a Japanese rescue team, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement early today that specialist crews from Russia, South Korea, and Singapore would be welcome as well.
The turnabout came as the death toll from Monday’s magnitude-7.9 quake soared.
Not all hope of finding survivors was lost. After more than three days trapped under debris, a 22-year-old woman was pulled to safety in Dujiangyan. Covered in dust and peering out through a small opening, she was shown waving on state television shortly before being rescued.
In Yingxiu, a town at the epicenter, rescue workers pulled an 11-year-old girl out of the rubble 68 hours after the quake demolished her school, according to an Agence France-Presse report.
One earthquake expert said the time for rescues was growing short.
“Generally speaking, anyone buried in an earthquake can survive without water and food for three days,” said Gu Linsheng, a researcher with Tsinghua University’s Emergency Management Research Center. “After that, it’s usually a miracle for anyone to survive.”
The confirmed death toll reached 19,509 yesterday, up from the nearly 15,000 confirmed dead the day before, according to the Earthquake and Disaster Relief Headquarters of the State Council, the country’s Cabinet. The council said deaths could rise to about 50,000, state TV reported.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited Qingchuan in northern Sichuan province, site of a collapsed school that buried dozens of children, to encourage doctors and nurses aiding the injured.
“The party and the government are grateful to you. The people need you,” he said in footage shown on CCTV. “They see you as a relative. Every act and word of yours represents the government.”
Taiwan’s Red Cross said China had accepted a 20-person emergency relief team from the island. Taiwan is also sending a cargo plane to Chengdu with tents and medical supplies.
Taiwan and China, which split during civil war in 1949, have banned regular direct links and other formal contacts as political disputes persist. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province.
Also yesterday, a group of 33 American, British and French tourists were airlifted from Wolong, site of the world’s most famous panda preserve, to the provincial capital of Chengdu, Xinhua news agency reported. All were in good health, Xinhua said.
• Associated Press writers Audra Ang in Mianyang, Christopher Bodeen in Dujiangyan, and Cara Anna and Anita Chang in Beijing contributed to this report.
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