BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao called for Chinese army and armed police stationed near the quake-hit areas to make every effort to assist disaster relief work and protect the safety of life and property of those affected late on Monday night.

    His call was followed by a disaster contingency plan of the General Staff Department (GSD) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), ordering the army to "devote themselves to reduce the losses incurred by the earthquake to the best they can".

    It ordered troops and armed police stationed close to the quake-hit areas to prepare to reinforce those already dispatched when ordered or requested by local government.

    A total of 6,100 troops along with four helicopters were dispatched by the Sichuan Military Area Command to quake-hit areas Monday afternoon, while armed police forces stationed in Sichuan province dispatched 3,100 personnel.

    Paramilitary forces, military reserves and medical staff from military hospitals near quake-hit areas were also mobilized.

    Tian Yixiang, an officer with the emergency office of the People's Liberation Army, said the troops would assist local authorities in gauging the situation and helping with disaster relief work.

    A major earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan county of Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. Monday, resulting in more than 8,500 deaths in Sichuan alone.

    The epicenter of the quake was located 31 degrees north and 103.4 degrees east. Tremors were reported in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing Municipalities, Qinghai, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Henan and Jiangsu provinces, and Tibet and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regions.