BEIJING -- The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province rose to 28,881 nationwide as of 2 pm Saturday, while 198,347 people were injured, according to the emergency response office of the State Council.
A total of 15.61 million houses in quake areas were damaged, with 3.13 million collapsed.
A nurse and a soldier help a patient (C) to cross a bridge in the city of Beichuan, located around 150 km north of Chengdu, in Sichuan Province May 16, 2008. [Agencies]
Most of the deaths are in the Sichuan province. In its neighbouring regions, 364 were killed in Gansu, 109 in Shaanxi, 15 in Chongqing, 2 in Henan, one in Yunnan, and one in Hubei.
No cases of epidemics or emergent public health incidents have been reported in quake areas so far, according China's Ministry of Health.
"The focus of our work will gradually shift to rural areas impacted by Monday's quake, " Guo Weimin, director of the Information Office of the State Council, told a press conference Saturday afternoon.
By Friday, special police forces and medical teams have started relief work and rescue operations in 58 spots in 10 quake-affected townships, Guo said, citing a report from the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army.
A rescue headquarters headed by Premier Wen Jiabao under the State Council had said on Thursday that it feared total death toll of Monday's quake could exceed 50,000.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen on Friday again urged continued efforts in quake rescue and relief work and giving top priority to the saving of people's lives.
A meeting held between the two Chinese top leaders said the previous relief work had been progressing orderly and effectively, which paved a smooth way for the following work.
In face of the pressing time, uttermost efforts must be made if only there exists the slimmest hope of survivors, the meeting said.
In the meantime, a total of 181,460 tents, 170,000 cotton-paded clothes and 220,000 quilts had been allocated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs for the quake-hit areas.
As of 1 pm Saturday, China has received 6.023 billion yuan (US$860 million) in cash and goods for earthquake relief from donors at home and abroad. Domestic donations has reached 4.9 billion yuan, the Information Office of the State Council said.
The ministry is planning to arrange adoptions of quake orphans, with the number of homeless children increasing and more concerned organizations and individuals proposing for adoption. The orphans are currently taken care of by local governments.
China has mobilized more than 130,000 troops for rescue operations, who were desperate to excavate survivors despite the passing of the prime time for survivors' rescue -- 72 hours after the quake.
Foreign rescue teams from Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore have arrived in Sichuan to aid the disaster relief efforts.
