
Photo courtesy of Xinhua Relief troops prepare to board planes at an airport in Kaifeng, capital of central China's Henan Province, on May 13, 2008.
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As
day four begins, more survivors have been pulled from the rubble. The first foreign rescue teams are on the scene. Leaflets are being dropped from helicopters providing survival tips and urging the people to work together.
In Beichuan, 17 survivors have been pulled from the debris.
A man in Shifang city was pulled from the wreckage of a fertilizer plant.
As the aftershocks bury more of those who have survived the nation is still in danger.
The death toll on Friday stands at 22,069. There are still at least 14,000 people buried in Sichuan. The hardest population hit by this quake has been the school children whose school have become their tombs.
A total of 6,900 classrooms were destroyed during the 7.9-magnitude earthquake. The government has promised to launch an investigation of those responsible for the shoddy construction of those structures and hold them responsible.
Not only has the country lost much of its housing it is dealing with a water supply situation that is "extremely serious" in Sichuan. There are twenty cities and counties that have no water flowing into them at all.
"I have just been so frightened this whole time. I don't know what we are going to do," said Pan, 35. The only belongings the family had were some clothes and a little food, among hundreds camped along the road. "We've lost everything. There's nothing left of our village, nothing left of our home."
President Hu Jintao made his first trip into the disaster zone rallying the huge troop relief operation. There are 130,000 soldiers and police working together to help find survivors and keep the peace.
"The challenge is still severe, the task is still arduous and the time is pressing," Hu was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "Quake relief work has entered into the most crucial phase. We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts."
Foreign rescue teams from Russia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea are also on hand to help the operation.
This is the first time that China has allowed outside foreign aid into the country to help with a disaster.
China has also received $457 million in donated money and goods for the rescue effort according to the Ministry of civil Affairs.