By SPA,
Chengdu, China : China said it was struggling to find shelter for many of the 5 million people whose homes were destroyed in last week’s earthquake, while the region remained jittery Tuesday over warnings of aftershocks.
Meanwhile, rescuers pulled a 31-year-old man to safety, the second case of someone being found alive a week after the May 12 earthquake struck Sichuan province. Officials say the death toll is expected to surpass 50,000, and millions have been left homeless.
Ma Yuanjiang was saved from the debris of the Yingxiu Bay Hydropower Plant, where he worked as a director, after a 30-hour rescue effort, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Ma was able to speak and began to eat small amounts of food, colleague Wu Geng told the agency.
The confirmed death toll in Sichuan province alone rose to 39,577, Vice Governor Li Chengyun told a news conference.
Another 32,361 people remained missing across the quake zone, said the State Council, China’s Cabinet.
In the rescue effort so far, 6,375 survivors were dug out from quake debris, among some 360,159 people relocated to safer areas, the council was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.