20,000 confirmed dead in China quake
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20,000 dead ... Survivors carry a coffin of one of the earthquake victims. (Getty Images: Feng Li)
Some 20,000 people have been confirmed dead after Monday's 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China's Sichuan province.
State media reported this could soar to more than 50,000, as rescuers struggled to help survivors and hope faded for thousands buried under rubble.
Half the epicentre town of Yingxiu, where corpses are lined along the river, has been flattened and 90 per cent of the buildings remaining look unsafe.
Some of the biggest casualties appear to have come from school buildings across Sichuan province.
Helicopters arrived every 15 minutes to take the injured away and soldiers had walked up to 40 kilometres to help.
The Communist Party told officials to "ensure social stability" as the quake spawned rumours of chemical spills, fears of dam bursts and scenes of collective desperation.
Xinhua news agency said 17 "malicious rumour-mongers" had been punished for spreading "false information, sensational statements and sapping public confidence".
State Media warned of the rising risk of disease from unburied bodies and primitive sewage facilities, while calling for faster distribution of food, water, clothing and tents.
Rescuers in the city of Dujiangyan wrapped corpses dragged from the rubble in tarpaulins and sped them to morgues.
They were so busy that a notice outside one collapsed school asked parents to search for children at the morgue in shifts.
About 130,000 army and paramilitary troops assisted the search and rescue effort in Sichuan, sifting through dozens of towns turned to rubble.
- Reuters
