Rescuers Face Tough Conditions In China Quake Zone

QINGHAI, April 15, 2010 -- Chinese rescue teams fought altitude sickness, freezing temperature and gusty winds as they raced against time in their search for survivors in the quake zone of western China.

Rescue workers used shovels and their bare hands due to a lack of heavy equipment. An ABC team travelling to the quake zone witnessed the difficulties of getting heavy equipment into the devastated areas. Trucks struggled to pull bulldozers and excavators on the steep mountain passes along the bumpy, unpaved roads. The long ride from the provincial capital could take as long as 15 hours.

At 13,000 feet above sea level, our team also experienced the difficulty felt by rescuers in breathing the thin air of the Tibetan plateau and suffering from headaches and nausea.

But as rescue efforts entered the second day in the remote mountainous region in Qinghai province, there were glimpses of hope amid the chaos and devastation.

Chinese authorities announced that rescuers pulled out more than 1,000 survivors from under the rubble. One of the lucky ones was a girl trapped for more than 16 hours beneath a concrete slab.

State television showed rescuers with flashlights on their helmets searching through the debris last night. One team found the girl. "I can't feel my arm," she said as workers gave her water while others looked for pieces of wood to prop up the slab that pressed on her.

They carefully pulled the girl out and carried her on a stretcher. Chinese viewers could hear her faint voice as she told the rescuers, "I am sorry for the trouble. Thank you, I will never forget this."

The official Xinhua news agency also reported that 48 students were among those rescued from under the debris of collapsed schools.

Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in the quake zone to visit survivors and check up on the rescue operations as the government dispatched more transport planes to carry medical supplies and disaster relief items to the area.

Meanwhile, the official death toll rose to 617 and is expected to increase further as 313 others are reported to be missing. Among the 10,000 injured, a Chinese official said 970 were in serious condition.