China Quake Death Toll Likely Tens of Thousands

The vice governor said several reservoirs upstream of the Min river, a major Yangtze river tributary flowing through the quake-hit region, were "in a very dangerous status and the dams may burst".

Officials have also warned more powerful aftershocks could hit the region and mudslides could wreak a greater toll.

A strong aftershock rocked Chengdu on Tuesday, one of 2,354 in the province over the past day, unnerving residents.

More than 50,000 troops had joined disaster relief efforts or were advancing to the area. Thousands had been ordered to parachute into Wenchuan, where rain and thick clouds had prevented military helicopters from landing.

Premier Wen Jiabao, visiting Sichuan, ordered troops to clear roads to Wenchuan.

"Please speed up the shipping of food. The kids have nothing to eat now," Wen said amid a crowd of crying children.

In Dujiangyan — about midway between Chengdu and the epicenter — there was devastation, with buildings reduced to rubble and bodies in the streets. Many residents simply stood beside their wrecked homes, cradling possessions in their arms. Others huddled in relief tents under heavy rain. (See more on the quake in the video at left.)

Rescuers had worked through the night, pulling bodies from buildings demolished by the quake, which rolled from Sichuan across much of China and was felt as far away as Bangkok and Hanoi.

About 900 teenagers were buried under a collapsed three-story school building, as frantic relatives tried to push past a line of soldiers, desperate for news of their children.

Wen bowed three times in grief before some of the first 50 bodies pulled out, Xinhua reported.

"Not one minute can be wasted," said Wen, a trained geologist.

"We're still pulling out people alive, but many, many have died," said one medical worker.

A group of 19 British tourists were missing near the epicenter, their travel company said on Tuesday. The group, on a Travel Collection tour, were travelling with a guide by coach from Chengdu to Wolong, home to a large panda reserve.

Phone lines to the area are cut.

China said that there had been no reports of foreign casualties as of midday.

The Sichuan quake is the worst to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan tremor in northeastern China where up to 300,000 died.

CONTINUED: Chinese Stocks Lower; Inflation May Rise

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