BEIJING: The death toll from the massive earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province reached nearly 12,000 with hundreds still trapped under debris and rescuers struggling to reach more affected areas. The Sichuan provincial seismological bureau said more than 1,180 tremors up to magnitude 6 on the Richter scale have been recorded as of 5 am (local time) on Tuesday.

The government in Shifang, where a major chemical leak happened after the quake, said about 600 people died, including 81 students. Government expected that as many as 2,300 people were still buried, including 920 students, official Xinhua news agency said. In another badly-hit city of Mianzhu, about 50 kms from the epicenter, more than 1,000 were reported dead and another 5,000 were buried till late last night, the local government said.

Dozens of military vehicles headed to Beichuan County, where officials said about 80 per cent of the buildings collapsed and up to 5,000 people were believed dead. Surviving villagers said the old town of Beichuan was covered by giant debris slides, and the new town also suffered grave damages, particularly kindergartens, primary and middle schools, and vocational schools. Rescuers scrambled to reach the disaster struck areas.

Troops were approaching on foot Wenchuan County, the epicenter of the quake. Setting out from Maerkang, about 200 kilometers away from Wenchuan, the troops had walked for nearly seven hours on foot, feeling a number of aftershocks and coming across sliding rocks amidst heavy rains. "I have seen many collapsed civilian houses and the rocks dropped from mountains on the roadside are everywhere," said the unit head Li Zaiyuan, "We are on the way on foot."

The People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Forces have mobilized more than 20,000 personnel and 20,000 airborne troops would be dropped to the areas and 10,000 will take railways to join the rescuers, Xinhua said. Premier Wen Jiabao, who is supervising the rescue and relief efforts, pledged to save as many lives as the rescue teams could.

"Please just hold on, people are going to get you out there," Wen told the people trapped in a collapsed building through a loud speaker in Dujiangyan city, northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu. The quake, with a magnitude of 7.8 struck close to densely populated Sihuan province. It is said to be the worst quake to China since the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which claimed 2,42,000 lives. Ready to accept international aid Meanwhile, China has said it is ready to accept international aid to handle relief measures.

"The competent authorities of China in charge of disaster relief works and civil affairs welcome the aid from international community and we are ready to make contact with the relevant countries and organizations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters here. The quake that pummeled Sichuan province leaving thousands buried under the debris of toppled buildings has posed a big challenge to China in tackling the disaster.

Qin said soon after the earthquake, the international community had expressed its "solicitude, support and sympathy" and offered aid to Chinese government and its people. "Many countries and international organizations have expressed their will to provide various kinds of aid to China. We express our thanks and welcome (it) in this regard." The US, Japan and Australia are among the nations which have offered help to China, as also the United Nations.