China quake death toll raised to 15,000

BEIJING, May 14 (UPI) -- Rescue workers pulled the bodies of 178 students from a collapsed school in the aftermath of China's deadly earthquake, local officials said Wednesday.

The 7.9-magnitude quake struck Monday in southwestern China, leaving upwards of 15,000 dead and tens of thousands more injured, buried or missing.

The students' bodies were pulled from the rubble of a three-story school in Qingchuan county in Sichuan province. Closer to the Wenchuan county epicenter -- about 960 miles from Beijing -- at least 500 were found dead.

Rescue efforts were hampered by heavy rain, collapsed bridges and damaged roads, CNN reported.

The official Xinhua news agency said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao toured some of the worst-hit areas, visiting a stadium in Mianyang where many of those left homeless were taken.

Xinhua reported 75 percent of the population of Yingxiu, some 7,700 people, died in the quake.

The government mobilized thousands of soldiers to aid in rescue and evacuation efforts, with 200 troops parachuting into one of the hardest hit areas. Hospitals were reported filled to overflowing and medical supplies were reported running low.