00:00:41
ITN
Earthquake death toll at 29,000
Earthquake death toll at 29,000
The death toll from the deadliest earthquake to hit China in three decades has risen to almost 29,000.China has said it expects it to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can be found.President Hu Jintao urged rescue workers to continue their efforts, saying: "Although the time for the best chance of rescue, the first 72 hours after an earthquake, has passed, saving lives remains the top priority of our work".Survivors were still being found, five days after Monday's disaster, including a German tourist who was pulled from rubble in Wenchuan after being buried for 114 hours.Meanwhile, thousands are fled a Chinese county near the epicentre of an earthquake amid fears a lake had burst its banks.Confusion caused panic after reports suggested water levels were rising rapidly, prompting thousands to flee to the hills to escape possible flooding. The reports were later found to be untrue. Some 1.2 million people were being evacuated in Qingchuan, about 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Beichuan.There has been growing concern about the safety of dams and reservoirs which have been weakened in the mountainous province of Sichuan, an area about the size of Spain.China has sent 130,000 troops to the disaster area, but roads buckled by the quake and blocked by landslides have made it hard for supplies and rescuers to reach the worst-hit areas.
ITN | May 17, 2008
