China Quake Death Count Could Rise To 50,000

After more than 72 hours after the quake that shook central China, rescuers shifted from poring through toppled buildings for survivors to searching for bodies.

In the Sichuan province, 12,300 people are still buried and another 102,100 were injured.

In the industrial town of Shifang, a city where two chemical plants fell down, burying hundreds of people, troops use a mechanical shovel to dig a pit to bury the dead.

In Dujiangyan, Police and militia smashed rubble with cranes and backhoes while crews used shovels to get around larger pieces of debris. On a sidestreet, a dozen bodies were laid on a sidewalk, while inscense sticks were placed in a pile of sand that sent smoke into the air as a tribute and to cut down on the smell of the bodies.

The bodies that were on the sidestreet were lifted onto a flatbed truck where there were already a half-dozen of the dead. The homeless were asked by workers to to sign up for temporary housing, it was not clear where they would stay.

China agreed to accept help from a 20 person emergency relief team from the Red Cross in Taiwan. Taiwan is sending a cargo plane to Chengdu with tents and medical supplies.

Donations have totaled $186,000,000 in cash and goods.