Repairs on the Baoji-Chengdu Railway are also under way.
Telecommunications lines between the outside world and the eight worst-hit counties in Sichuan (Wenchuan, Lixian, Maoxian, Qingchuan, Pingwu, Heishui, Beichuan and Mianzhu) were functional as of Tuesday noon. Of the 201 townships under the eight counties, 146 had telecommunication access.
Plans for reconstruction will be worked out after authorities finish moving survivors to safe areas.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, 80 percent of the dead in Sichuan had been buried or cremated, while all bodies in other provinces reporting quake deaths have been properly handled to prevent possible plague in the quake zones.
Authorities will collect pictures and body tissue samples of those who cannot be identified before burial or cremation, to build a DNA database for future identification.
In the meantime, the State Council is calling for more tents to provide shelter for quake victims.
"Tents, what we need the most are more tents," said Jiang Li, the vice minister of civil affairs, at the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, appealing for international help.
Sufficient supplies of food, and drinking water was emphasized by the State Council, which also called for providing psychological assistance to quake victims and their relatives.
(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2008)