China earthquake death toll rises to 589
The death toll in southern China's earthquake rises to 589 on Wednesday as search and rescue teams pushed into isolated mountain communities to clear debris from collapsed homes, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs reported on Wednesday.
The Yunnan provincial government said more than 2,400 people were injured and over 240,000 were evacuated after Sunday's 6.1 magnitude quake in the mountainous Yunnan farming region of Ludian county.
Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed or seriously damaged, the ministry said on its website.
Rescue teams are still working on the ruins, looking for sings of life, despite the adverse conditions.
"There are a lot of people that we may never be able to dig out," said senior Col. Feng, who declined to give his full name because he was not an officially designated spokesman. "But there is still hope."
It is said to be the China's deadliest earthquake in four years.
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