More than half of Pengzhou's 800,000 residents were affected by the quake, which left 600 people dead and 3,000 others missing.

Many parts of the city were cut off by landslides triggered by the powerful quake and its aftershocks.

Zhang Yingming, vice mayor of Pengzhou, said the city had been helping 100,000 residents who had been trapped in mountains to evacuate and move to temporary housing at six major shelters. So far, 14,000 residents have been evacuated.

Zhang added they would need 1,200 extra tents and plenty of food, potable water and disinfectants as more quake victims moved into the temporary shelters.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County, about 159 km northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu, has affected an area of more than 100,000 square km.

More than 50,000 people are feared dead in Sichuan Province alone, the rescue headquarters of the State Council (cabinet) said on Thursday. The confirmed death toll in Sichuan was 19,509 as of 4 PM Thursday, up by 5,046 from Wednesday, according to Li Chengyun, the vice provincial governor of Sichuan.

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2008)