JIEGU, China, April 15 (UPI) -- Several hundred people were unaccounted for Thursday in Qinghai province, one day after an earthquake wrecked sections of the region in southwestern China.
Officials said more than 600 people died and about 10,000 were injured but rescuers clawed with bare hands at piles of building debris in desperate searches for the more than 300 people missing on the Tibetan plateau.
Additional rescue teams worked their way to the mountainous region, hauling tents and medical supplies toward the town of Jiegu. Shelter is one of the most-needed commodities for survivors, who are blasted by high winds and frigid temperatures in the area more than 13,000 feet above sea level and where more than three-quarters of the buildings were destroyed.
Nearly 1,000 people have been rescued from rubble since the 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Chinese President Hu Jintao ordered about 5,000 rescuers to the area to help relief efforts.
The U.S. Geographical Society said Wednesday's quake was the strongest in Qinghai in 35 years.
