Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday underscored unremitting efforts in searching and rescuing people buried in debris in the earthquake in southwestern Sichuan Province.
Rescuers should do all out and leave no "dead angle" or "blind spot" when searching victims, Wen said while presiding a meeting of the general headquarters of quake relief under the State Council Saturday afternoon.
He said rescue efforts must be extended to villages, professional rescuers should be designated to every rescue team, and life detection equipment and sniffer dogs should be used.
The State Council has decided to distribute 0.5 kilogram food and 10 yuan (1.43 U.S. dollars) subsidy to people with financial difficulties each day in quake-hit areas in a period of three months, according to the meeting.
The headquarters ordered the shipment of more fast food, bottled water to the quake-hit areas, and urged the arrangements of grain and cooking oil supplies.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Sichuan Province Monday afternoon. The tremors which were felt in many parts of the country had caused 28,881 deaths nationwide as of 2 p.m. Saturday.
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2008)