China races to bury quake dead and manage survivors

By Ben Blanchard

SHIFANG, China (Reuters) - China struggled on Friday to bury the dead and offer relief to those left injured, homeless and without food and water by the earthquake that may have killed more than 50,000 people.

From the heart of the disaster zone in the southwestern province of Sichuan, where the 7.9 magnitude quake struck on Monday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged rescuers on, but hopes were fading for those still trapped under rubble.

"Saving lives is still our top priority as long as hope of survival still exists," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Wen as saying.

About 20,000 are confirmed dead from the quake and at least another 25,000 remain buried.

In the Sichuan town of Yingxiu, where bodies were lined up along the river bank, a Communist Party official warned that epidemics could break out if bodies were not soon buried.

"We are in urgent need of body bags," the official, Bai Licheng, told Xinhua.

"Air-dropped food and drinking water are limited and far from meeting the demand," he added.

The Ministry of Health issued a notice ordering bodies to be cleaned where they were found and buried as soon as possible, far from water sources and downwind from populated areas.