China says quake toll could rise above 50,000

By Emma Graham-Harrison and Aly Song

YINGXIU, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China's earthquake could soar to more than 50,000, state media reported on Thursday, as rescuers struggled to help survivors and hope faded for thousands buried under rubble.

Some 20,000 are confirmed dead after Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake and 25,000 were buried in areas rescuers have struggled to reach, battling landslides, buckled roads and collapsed bridges.

Half the epicentre town of Yingxiu, where corpses are lined along the river, has been flattened and 90 percent of the buildings remaining look unsafe.

Zhang Yuejiao, 18, ran out of her school as it collapsed. Some of the biggest casualties appear to have come from school buildings across Sichuan, a province as big as France.

"We have been waiting to try to find out what happened to my brother," she said calmly. "His school collapsed and we haven't been able to find him."

Helicopters arrived every 15 minutes to take the injured away and soldiers had walked in 40 km (24 miles) to help.

Premier Wen Jiabao, a geologist himself, said the rescue operation and disaster relief for victims of the quake were the country's top priority, Xinhua news agency reported.

Wen, who has toured the disaster zone urging on workers and comforting orphaned children, said the government would stick to its "people-first policy", the agency said.