The Sichuan earthquake may eventually claim as many as 50,000 lives, the Chinese government said today, as helicopters planned aid drops in remote areas of the province.
China’s defence minister is to deploy 101 more helicopters in a desperate attempt to limit the escalating death toll as at least 40,000 people remained buried beneath the rubble following Monday’s disaster.
At least 19,500 people have died so far following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake. Rescuers bolstered by 110,000 troops and police have been digging for survivors.
Thousands of soldiers were dispatched to repair “extremely dangerous” cracks in the Zipingpu Dam in Sichuan province amid fears that many other dams were at risk of bursting and adding to the devastation.
Meanwhile 19 British tourists feared lost in while visiting a famous panda breeding area near the earthquake’s epicentre have been found alive and well, the British Embassy in Beijing said today.
A Chinese military helicopter evacuated 14 of them from Wolong and took them to Chengdu, the Sichuan capital, where they were visited by the British Ambassador Sir William Ehrman.
