Chinese quake rescuers struggled with flooded rivers and dams in danger of collapse threatening to add to the devastation today.

China issued a rare public appeal for rescue equipment today as it struggled to cope with the aftermath of this week’s earthquake.

The official death toll in the Chinese earthquake rose to 12,000 today with thousands more still missing amid reports of strong aftershocks in the region.

Chinese state media have reported that 10,000 people “remain buried” in Mianzhu near the epicentre of the earthquake that has already killed about 10,000.