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China Quake Toll Tops 13,000

Posted May 13, 08 3:10 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – The official death toll for the Chinese earthquake shot past 13,000 today and is expected to jump sharply after the full extent of the devastation is accounted for, Reuters reports. In one town with a prequake population of 12,000, only 2,000 survived; in all, 60,000 are missing in Wenchuan, the quake’s epicenter.

Chinese troops arriving in Wenchuan’s Yingxiu township found themselves unprepared: "They could hear people under the debris calling for help but no one could, because there were no professional rescue teams," a local official told state television. "What we most need is medicine. There is no medicine, there are no doctors and after such a long time, no food."

Source Reuters

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In this photo provided by Xinhua news agency, Chinese air force soldiers prepare to board a plane heading for the quake-hit area, in Beijing, capital of China,Tuesday May 13, 2008. Twenty-two air force...   (AP Photo)
In this photo provided by Xinhua news agency, rescuers carry an injured woman in Beichuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday May 13, 2008.   (AP Photo)
Earthquake survivors sleep inside a stadium, which was converted to a temporary shelter following Monday's powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Mianyang, Sichuan province.   (AP Photo)
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