By Prensa Latina,
Beijing : The number of fatal victims left by a strong Monday earthquake in the Chinese province of Sichuan has amounted to nearly 11,921, the command for the coordination of rescue operations, headed by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, informed Tuesday.
In the meantime, a contingent of 1,300 soldiers and paramedics hiked to Wenchuan, the quake’s epicentre, to help the victims.
Military doctors and soldiers immediately began searching for survivors and aiding those wounded in Yinxiu area, in the pounded district of Wenchuan.
Rain has hindered rescue operations, with landslides and huge rocks blocking roads.
Wen yesterday travelled to the zone, and ordered the soldiers to open up paths to the center of Wenchuan, and establish a route to convey food, water, and medicine.