The death toll rose to 11,921 persons in the major earthquake in southwestern Sichuan Province by 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to the headquarters of disaster relief headed by Premier Wen Jiabao.

Rescuers carry the body of a victim at the Juyuan High School in Juyuan Town, Dujiangyan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 13, 2008. Rescuers work against the rainy weather to search quake survivors on Tuesday. (Xinhua Photo)

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao ordered to remove barriers and open up roads to epicenter before midnight Tuesday after a strong earthquake jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday afternoon.

Wen held an emergency meeting at 07:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, saying "We must try our best to open up roads to the epicenter and rescue people trapped in the disaster-hit areas."

Wen stressed the military forces should try their best to open up roads to the epicenter and at the same time to air-drop commodities like food, pharmacy to the areas.

Currently, the situation in Wenchuan, Lixian County and Maoxian County is still unclear and rescuers are unable to reach this area, he said.

"We must try to send rescuers to every affected city, county even village before 12:00 p.m. to obtain information and rescue survivors," he said.

The 7.8-magnitude quake, which occurred in Wenchuan Monday afternoon, has killed 9,219 people in eight affected provinces and municipality including Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Yunnan, Shanxi, Guizhou and Hubei, the ministry of civil affairs said in a release issued at 7:00 a.m.

The road from Dujiangyan, a city northwest of the provincial capital Chengdu, to Wenchuan, the epicenter, was blocked by rocks and mud slides, holding up rescue, medical and other disaster relief teams.

"At present, we have great difficulties to carry out our rescue work", Wen said, noting "Blocked road, disrupted communication and continuous rainfall have all created obstacles to our rescue efforts."

"People's lives and property safety are the top priorities and many people are still trapped in debris," the premier said, stressing "We must treasure every second and do our utmost to save survivors."

Wen urged local officials to console people, saying the central government attached great importance to the rescue work after the calamity hit China.

All the medical staffs, rescuers together with emergency goods will continue to be delivered to the disaster-stricken areas, he said.

He required all the officials to carry out their due responsibility in the rescue work, asking them to give top priorities to providing local people with goods urgently needed such as biscuits, milk, water, tents and medicines.

After visiting the Xinjian Primary School damaged by the quake, Wen departed from Dujiangyan for northern Sichuan's Deyang City that also was affected by the quake.

Some 1,300 rescue and relief troops arrived for the first time at Wenchuan County, the epicenter of Monday's major quake, and started operations in rain.

The military doctors and soldiers have started to search for survivors and treat injured people at the Yingxiu County of Wenchuan, 20 kilometers from Dujiangyan city. 

LookAtVietnam/Xinhuanet