Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

    CHENGDU, May 13 (Xinhua) -- About 60,000 people in Wenchuan county, the epicenter of a strong earthquake that struck southwest China Monday afternoon, were still out of reach on Tuesday morning while the county seat reported 57 deaths and more than 300 injuries.

    "I am much worried! I am much worried!" said He Biao, deputy secretary-general of the government of Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, Sichuan Province, over a telephone interview with Xinhua.

    The Wenchuan county and Aba prefecture governments so far had not received any phone call from the Yingxiu, Sanjiang and Xuankou towns and Wolong district, which have a combined population of 60,000, according to He.

    Wang Bin, Communist Party secretary of Wenchuan County told Xinhua on Tuesday morning that the county seat had so far recorded57 deaths and more than 300 injuries.

    "This is only rough number of casualties at the county seat. The figure is highly possible to rise as the casualties in the mountainous area is not available," said Wang.

    More than 30,000 residents are staying outdoors at the county seat despite heavy rains, he added.

    Wenchuan, with a population more than 105,000, was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake at 2:28 p.m. Monday. A number of aftershocks have been recorded.

    Wang appealed for emergency aid via a satellite phone early Tuesday, after the county was cut off from the outside world.

    "We are in urgent need of tents, food, medicine and satellite communications equipment through air drop. We also need medical workers to save the injured people here," he said.

    Rescuers are yet to reach Wenchuan, 159 km northwest of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, because all roads leading to the county have been destroyed by landslides and telecommunication links have also been cut.

    At about 1:15 a.m. on Tuesday, He Biao finally reached Wang Binvia a satellite phone, according to a statement posted on the website of the prefectural government.

    "Wang Bin said between sobs that most of farmers' houses had collapsed in two townships, and most of the houses in the county seat are in danger," the statement said.

    The Aba prefecture has pledged to restore the damaged roads and communication networks soon "by every possible means", according to a separate statement posted on its official website.

    Premier Wen Jiabao, who is in the City of Dujiangyan, about 100km from the epicenter, has asked relief military personnel waiting in the city to enter into the area as soon as possible even if they have to walk to Wenchuan.

    "Road access to Wenchuan, which is key to our disaster relief work, must be made at all cost. Water and power supplies and telecommunication in quake-hit areas should be restored as soon as possible," the premier demanded.

    In Sichuan, more than 8,500 people were feared dead.

    The powerful tremor was also strongly felt in many other parts of the country, including Beijing, Shanghai and Tibet.

    The quake was the worst to strike China since the Tangshan earthquake in north China's Hebei Province in 1976, which claimed 242,000 lives.