Sichuan earthquake death toll exceeds 12,000

CHENGDU, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior official with the Sichuan Provincial government said Tuesday the death toll in the province has exceeded 12,000, and is still rising.

Li Chengyun, vice governor of Sichuan, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that the death toll was based on incomplete figures tallied by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday. He said another 26,206 people were injured, and more than 9,400 people are buried in debris.

Li also provided a breakdown of the death toll, including 161 in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, 7,395 in Mianyang City, 2,648 in Deyang City, 959 in the provincial capital Chengdu and 700 in Guangyuan City. Other casualties were reported in cities including Ya'an, Ziyang and the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

The earthquake, which centered on the province's Wenchuan County at 2:28 p.m. Monday, has left the province in chaos. More than 3.46 million houses were wracked, Li said.

Li said he was deeply saddened by the super earthquake. He called on both officials and the masses in Sichuan to fight the disaster and rescue themselves.