China quake death toll nears 9,000

By Ben Blanchard

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - A earthquake devastated southwestern China on Monday, killing close to 9,000 people and trapping hundreds of others under flattened schools, factories and houses.

The 7.8 magnitude quake, centred in Sichuan province, struck in the middle of the school day and toppled at least eight schools. Factories and at least one hospital were also razed, trapping hundreds more, state media said.

The death toll appeared likely to climb in China's worst earthquake for over three decades.

About 900 teenagers were buried in the rubble of a collapsed three-storey school building in the Sichuan city of Dujiangyan. Villagers helped dozens of students out as cranes excavated the site.

In Shefang city in Sichuan, 6,000 residents were evacuated after two chemical plants were levelled, trapping more than a hundred people and spilling corrosive liquids.

The government has rushed troops and medical teams to dig for survivors and treat the injured. State television showed Premier Wen Jiabao, who flew to Sichuan, shouting words of hope to people buried under heavy concrete ruins.

"Everyone hang in there. We're rescuing you," he yelled into a hole as survivors nearby wept and moaned.

But severed roads and rail lines have blocked rescuers' way to the epicentre in Wenchuan, a hilly county of 112,000 people about 100 km (62 miles) from the Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu. Wen said troops would walk in if they had to.