Survivors from an earthquake that killed 589 people in a remote area of China yesterday faced a cold night without shelter, as rescuers using their bare hands searched for survivors.
Thousands were injured when the quake toppled mud-and-wood houses and school buildings in the northwestern province of Qinghai, but police managed to pull over 900 people alive from ruined buildings over the course of the day.
Many more are believed buried and forecasters predict wind and sleet in coming days, while seismologists warned of further aftershocks, adding to the trauma of victims preparing for a night in the open in the high-altitude zone.
Among the dead were children buried when the devastating quake measuring at least 6.9 rocked the predominantly Tibetan region earlier in the day, in scenes that brought back memories of a massive killer quake two years ago.
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered prayers for those who died while Pope Benedict XVI called for "solidarity" with the victims and nations including Germany, Japan and France voiced shock and offered help.
About 10,000 people were injured in the quake, which disrupted telecommunications, knocked out electricity, toppled temples and triggered landslides, hampering rescue efforts in the mountainous area.
State media spoke of panicked residents fleeing their homes while others hunted for loved-ones trapped in the ruins in Yushu prefecture, the epicentre of the latest disaster to strike the world's most populous nation.
President Hu Jintao called for all-out efforts to save as many people as possible, with over 5,000 rescuers including soldiers rushing to the disaster zone while the government said it would provide over $29 million in aid.
Xinhua news agency reported that 589 people have been confirmed dead, quoting officials in the local quake relief headquarters, and said many people were still buried in the rubble as aftershocks rumbled on.
"There are 10 people in my family and only four of us escaped. One of my relatives died. All the others are buried under the rubble," Samdrup Gyatso, 17, told Xinhua after his two-storey home crumbled.
The US Geological Survey put the quake at a magnitude of 6.9 while the China Earthquake Administration measured it at 7.1, official media saying it was felt strongly in neighbouring regions including Tibet.
Zhuohuaxia, an official in Jiegu, seat of the Yushu government, reported a lack of tents, medicines and medical equipment for the survivors.