Chinese leader visits quake area
Written: 16th May, 2008
Chinese President Hu Jintao has flown to south-western Sichuan Province, where it is feared up to 50,000 people may have died in Monday's earthquake.
So far almost 20,000 deaths have been confirmed in the region and thousands more people remain missing.
Mr Hu said rescue work had entered its "most crucial phase", Xinhua news agency reported.
Search teams are still combing through the rubble of houses and buildings as hopes of finding more survivors fade.
"The challenge is still severe, the task is still arduous and the time is pressing," said Mr Hu.
"We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts."
He was speaking after arriving in Mianyang, one of the cities worst-hit by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake, where he was to view the relief efforts and meet troops and medical personnel.
The president's presence in the region appears to reflect the level of government concern over the scale of the disaster.
Source BBC news