80,000 dead and missing in China quake

China said today the toll of dead and missing from last week’s powerful earthquake had jumped to more than 80,000, while the government appealed for millions of tents to shelter homeless survivors.

The confirmed number of dead rose to 51,151, a jump of almost 10,000 from the day before, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin told a news conference.

Another 29,328 people remained missing and nearly 300,000 were hurt in the May 12 quake centred in Sichuan province, he said.

No rescues of buried survivors had been reported today or in the last 24 hours.

The disaster also left some five million people homeless, levelling buildings and schools in remote towns and villages near the epicentre. In bigger cities, whole apartment blocks collapsed or are now too dangerous to live in because of damage and worries about aftershocks.

“We need more than 3.3 million tents,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, renewing an international appeal from the Chinese government. He said 400,000 tents had already been delivered to quake victims.

“We hope and welcome international assistance in this regard. We hope the international community can give priority in providing tents,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Chen Deming thanked foreign companies in China for quake aid, rejecting criticism on Chinese websites that called them “international misers” for failing to do enough.

Chen said foreign companies have given 1.95 billion yuan (€176m) in cash and supplies.

In the effort to assure people the government was placing top priority on relief efforts, Premier Wen Jiabao returned today to the disaster zone, Xinhua said – his second trip there following a visit immediately after the quake hit.

The government is also grappling with official estimates of more than 4,000 children orphaned by the quake, and received hundreds calls from people offering to adopt them.

In Beichuan, the smell of bleach was overpowering as rescue workers in white safety suits sprayed disinfectant in the area. Villagers were picking up medicine from stands set up by the government.

The town’s government offices opened today at a hotel in neighbouring Anxian county.

“Our previous office buildings collapsed, but our responsibilities, never,” Ma Yun, head of the county’s administrative office, was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The central government warned of the risk of secondary disasters from blocked streams, earthquake-loosened soil, mudslides and the forthcoming rainy season.

Avoiding further geological disasters during relief work and rebuilding would be a “daunting task,” said Yun Xiaosu, vice minister of land and resources.

The earthquake and aftershocks created 34 lakes, as debris blocked rivers and streams throughout the earthquake area.

“The water level in some lakes is high and rising,” he said. “If there’s a break, it will cause severe damage.”

People who might fall victim to potential floods have already been evacuated, he said.

The region’s rainy season starts in June, creating further problems and risks of major mudslides, Yun said.

Meanwhile, the Olympic torch relay resumed its run through China following a three-day national mourning period for quake victims.

The relay, a symbol of the country’s hopes for the Beijing Olympics, started with a minute of silence at a container terminal in the eastern seaport city of Ningbo. The torch run has been toned down from its previous boisterous celebration of the forthcoming Olympics since the quake.

“Your love is our hope,” said the first torchbearer, crane operator Zhu Shijie. “We all must fight the earthquake together.”

Beijing Olympics organisers also said in a statement that the relay’s Sichuan leg would be delayed “to support the disaster relief efforts”. Originally planned for next month, the leg now will take place just before the start of the August 8 games.