Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said here Tuesday, as of Tuesday afternoon, near 20,000 soldiers and armed policemen have arrived in the quake-hit areas in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Additional 30,000 soldiers are advancing towards the quake-hit regions by planes, trains and trucks, and on foot, the spokesman told Xinhua.

The People's Liberation Army and the armed police troops are "firmly carrying through President Hu's instructions", and spared no efforts to join in the disaster relief efforts, he said.

As of 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake had climbed to 11,921, according to the ad hoc headquarters of the disaster relief headed by Premier Wen. Of the dead, 11,608 were in Sichuan.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)