Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, rescuers pull a man from debris in Beichuan County in southwest China's Sichuan province on Friday. The survivor was found 95 hours after Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake, Xinhua said. Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Residents search for relatives in the debris of collapsed buildings on Friday in Beichuan County in Mianyang in southwest China's Sichuan province.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Strong aftershock hits China 5/17/08 • Trapped earthquake victims sometimes survive days 5/17/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Saturday, May 17, 2008 Machines start digging up Chinese earthquake rubble The Washington Post DUJIANGYAN, China -- Heavy earth-moving equipment on Friday rolled up to the rubble of buildings destroyed by this week's massive earthquake and began digging in earnest, as the race to find survivors shifted to a race to control disease from thousands of decomposing bodies still trapped. With temperatures rising and 14,000 bodies still estimated by officials to be buried at building sites across Sichuan province, the government's Health Ministry instructed workers to find, clean and dispose of the bodies as quickly as possible. Family members watched with roiled emotions as front-end loaders dug efficiently through the remains of two apartment buildings along Dujiangyan Avenue. "There have been no rescue efforts here, and now they start digging without using life signal detection devices," cried Zhang Shili, whose daughter, brother and mother were buried under tons of concrete of what had been a five-story building. "They explained there are very few of those." Although there were few hopes here that anyone was left alive, state media reported that a businessman was rescued Friday afternoon, nearly 97 hours after the quake struck, from a shattered building in Beichuan, one of the hardest-hit areas. A total of 17 people were rescued in the small mountain city, the New China News Agency said, including three schoolgirls who were pulled free early Friday morning. A specialized team from Japan began work on Friday as China admitted other aid from Russia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore. Chinese President Hu Jintao flew to Beichuan to assess the damage on his first trip to the region since Monday's disaster. "Saving lives is still the top priority of our work," Hu said, according to official media. "The challenge is still severe and the time is pressing." The official death toll rose to 22,069, with nearly 170,000 injured. China says it expects the number killed to approach 50,000. Many of the dead are schoolchildren who were killed when their buildings were demolished by the quake, and many grief-stricken parents have complained of shoddy construction. Hu said the government also needed to make greater efforts to treat the injured and provide basic services for residents who had lost their homes. Tens of thousands of people are living in makeshift tents along the streets and inside parks in Dujiangyan alone. Many Dujiangyan residents are reluctant to leave. "My home is here, and if it's really not necessary, I won't leave," said Wu Chang Wen, 36, who is living with 10 people in a tent.

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