YINGXIU, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China's earthquake could soar to more than 50,000, state media reported on Thursday, as rescuers struggled to help survivors and hope faded for the thousands buried under rubble.
Some 20,000 are confirmed dead after Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake and 25,000 were buried in areas rescuers have struggled to reach, battling landslides, buckled roads and collapsed bridges.
Half the epicenter town of Yingxiu, where corpses are lined along the river, has been flattened and 90 percent of the buildings remaining look unsafe.
Zhang Yuejiao, 18, ran out of her school as it collapsed, with school buildings appearing to be the biggest victims of the tremor across Sichuan, a province as big as France.
"We have been waiting to try to find out what happened to my brother," she said calmly. "His school collapsed and we haven't been able to find him."
Helicopters arrived every 15 minutes to take the injured away and soldiers had walked in 40 km (24 miles) to help.
The Communist Party told officials to "ensure social stability" as the quake spawned rumors of chemical spills, fears of dam bursts and scenes of collective desperation.
Xinhua news agency said 17 "malicious rumormongers" had been punished for spreading "false information, sensational statements and sapping public confidence".
Rescuers in the city of Dujiangyan wrapped corpses dragged from the rubble in tarpaulins and sped them to morgues.
They were so busy that a notice outside one collapsed school asked parents to search for missing children in shifts.
About 130,000 army and paramilitary troops assisted the search and rescue effort in Sichuan, sifting through dozens of towns turned to rubble.
But three days after the quake, hopes of pulling survivors from the ruins dimmed and the waves of rescuers appear to be hampered by lack of specialized equipment.
Still, there were moments of joy and relief. "Thank you, thank you," one 22-year-old said after she was eventually pulled to safety, covering her face against the light in Dujiangyan. She had been trapped, unable to move, under the ruins of a hospital.
