By Chris Buckley
BEICHUAN, China (Reuters) - Rescue workers have pluckedmore than 60 more survivors from the rubble following Monday'smassive earthquake in southwestern China, as a strong newaftershock hit and the death toll rose to almost 30,000.
The United States Geological Survey reported a tremor of6.1 magnitude early on Sunday centred 80 km (50 miles) west ofGuangyuan, the latest in a series of aftershocks to hit Sichuanprovince.
The official Xinhua news agency said there was no immediateword of additional damage or casualties in the area.
In the provincial capital, Chengdu, some 200 km south ofthe new tremor's epicentre, buildings swayed and people rushedout into the streets, risking a soaking from a passing storm.
At least 56 people were rescued in Yingxiu, close to theepicentre of Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake, but around 11,000people are thought to remain trapped, the official Xinhua newsagency said.
Soldiers engaged in relief work "have their hands stainedwith blood and earth after days of searches in the debris",Xinhua added.
"I was expecting to see my son's body. I never expected tosee him alive," it quoted Long Jinyu, the mother of one of thesurvivors found in the rubble, as saying.
Other people were found alive in Beichuan county, also hardhit by the earthquake, Xinhua said.
Thousands of people have fled in the Beichuan area amidfears a lake could burst its banks, hampering rescue effortsafter the deadliest earthquake in more than three decades.
At least one barrier lake, formed after rocks blocked ariver, has burst its banks but caused no casualties, Xinhuasaid.
BAD WEATHER, AFTERSHOCKS
Rescue work has been complicated by bad weather,treacherous terrain and hundreds of aftershocks.
President Hu Jintao urged emergency workers not to give upefforts to find survivors. "We should put people first andsaving people's lives is still the top priority of the reliefwork," he said.
Hu also praised international help given to China.
"I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments andinternational friends that have contributed to our quake-reliefwork," Xinhua quoted Hu as saying.
Offers of help have flooded in and rescue teams from Japan,Russia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have arrived.Donations from home and abroad have topped 6 billion yuan (438million pounds).
China has said it expects the final death toll from theearthquake to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have losttheir homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can befound.
Premier Wen said the quake was "the biggest and mostdestructive" since before the Communist revolution of 1949 andthe quick response had helped reduce casualties.
China has sent 150,000 troops to the disaster area, butroads buckled by the quake and blocked by landslides have madeit hard for supplies and rescuers to reach the worst-hit areas.
($1=6.990 Yuan)
(Writing by Ben Blanchard, editing by Tim Pearce)