By SPA,
Beijing : China says the death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck earlier this week is more than 19,500 in Sichuan Province alone, according to AP.
The Sichuan provincial government announced the figure Thursday. The announcement was carried by the official Xinhua News Agency.
The figure represents an increase from 15,000 on Wednesday.
The number of dead is expected to rise as rescue workers dig more victims out of collapsed buildings.