By Emma Graham-Harrison and Aly Song
YINGXIU, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China'searthquake could soar to more than 50,000, state media reportedon Thursday, as rescuers struggled to help survivors and hopefaded for thousands buried under rubble.
Some 20,000 are confirmed dead after Monday's 7.9 magnitudequake and 25,000 were buried in areas rescuers have struggledto reach, battling landslides, buckled roads and collapsedbridges.
Half the epicentre town of Yingxiu, where corpses are linedalong the river, has been flattened and 90 percent of thebuildings remaining look unsafe.
Zhang Yuejiao, 18, ran out of her school as it collapsed.Some of the biggest casualties appear to have come from schoolbuildings across Sichuan, a province as big as France.
"We have been waiting to try to find out what happened tomy brother," she said calmly. "His school collapsed and wehaven't been able to find him."
Helicopters arrived every 15 minutes to take the injuredaway and soldiers had walked in 40 km (24 miles) to help.
The Communist Party told officials to "ensure socialstability" as the quake spawned rumours of chemical spills,fears of dam bursts and scenes of collective desperation.
Xinhua news agency said 17 "malicious rumourmongers" hadbeen punished for spreading "false information, sensationalstatements and sapping public confidence".
State Media warned of rising risk of disease from unburiedbodies and primitive sewage facilities, while calling forfaster distribution of food, water, clothing and tents.
Rescuers in the city of Dujiangyan wrapped corpses draggedfrom the rubble in tarpaulins and sped them to morgues.
They were so busy that a notice outside one collapsedschool asked parents to search for children at the morgue inshifts.
About 130,000 army and paramilitary troops assisted thesearch and rescue effort in Sichuan, sifting through dozens oftowns turned to rubble. Japanese rescuers were due to arrivelate Thursday, part of an outpouring of international aid.
HOPES DIMMING
But three days after the quake, hopes of pulling survivorsfrom the ruins dimmed and the waves of rescuers appear to behampered by lack of specialised equipment.
Still, there were moments of joy and relief. "Thank you,thank you," one 22-year-old said after she was eventuallypulled to safety, covering her face against the light inDujiangyan. She had been trapped, unable to move, under theruins of a hospital.
A teenage girl told Xinua how she and her classmates sangpop songs together as they lay trapped and injured in the ruinsof their high school.
A teenage girl was freed from the rubble of her school atthe cost an amputated leg, and a 3-year-old girl was rescuedafter being shielded from the rubble by her dead parents.
Tourists from Britain, the United States and France wereairlifted from a panda reserve, but 893 foreigners are stilltrapped. Victims include a German, the Foreign Ministry said.
The strain from tens of thousands of homeless was growing.
"There is enough food but not enough water. We have onlyhad bottled mineral water the past few days, nothing to cookwith," said Wang Yujie, a teacher whose school withstood thequake.
More aid was arriving and efforts at coordination were alsoimproving, with Sichuan setting up a hotline for victims andambulances with Beijing licence plates on the roads.
More than 12.5 tonnes of relief goods had been airdroppedand scores of helicopters were flying in rescuers and aid.
Officials said quilts, tents, food and satellite phoneswere needed most. The Health Ministry said medical needs rangedfrom basics like bandages and antibiotics to sophisticatedequipment such as ventilators and kidney dialysis machines.
ANGRY RESIDENTS
In some villages near the badly hit area of Beichuan, angryresidents complained they had had little to eat and were forcedto drink contaminated water.
Many are sleeping outside or in makeshift shelters wherethe lack of water and blocked toilets has raised fears ofdisease.
The minister for Water Resources said dam damage waswidespread, compounded by communication problems. He warned ofblocked waterways and the difficulty of draining them.
Premier Wen Jiabao, a geologist himself, has toured thedisaster zone urging on workers and comforting orphanedchildren.
The disaster area is also home to China's chief nuclearweapons research lab in Mianyang, as well as several secretiveatomic sites, but no nuclear power stations.
The China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corpreported that several of its facilities in Sichuan weredamaged, but did not mention any radiation leaks. A Westernexpert with knowledge of the Mianyang lab said it was unlikelyit was at serious risk.
(Writing by Nick Macfie; Additional reporting by BenBlanchard, John Ruwitch, Lindsay Beck, Guo Shipeng and SallyHuang; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
