Chinese officials said Tuesday 39,577 people were confirmed dead and a quarter-million injured in Sichuan province after last week's earthquake.

Workers rescued 60,026 people from the quake's debris and relocated about 4.85 million others, said Li Chengyun, Sichuan province vice governor.

Li said the area needed more than 3 million tents, Xinhua, China's official news agency, reported.

If the public wants to donate, please donate tents, Li said.

A week after the monster earthquake devastated the region, Sichuan province faced a threat of a powerful aftershock. The seismological bureau in Chengdu said a 6-to-7 Richter aftershock could rock the Wenchuan epicenter area, and urged the local government and people to be prepared for emergencies, Xinhua said.

China has undertaken a massive relief effort that includes tens of thousands of rescue teams assisted by more than 110,000 people, including police officers and soldiers.

After approving foreign rescue teams -- including units from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore -- to aid in its relief effort, China agreed to receive foreign medical teams, Xinhua reported.

Considering the need of the current relief work, China Red Cross is authorized to accept medical teams from foreign countries to come to assist medical and treatment work, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Bookmark this news