Girl Pulled From Quake Rubble After 50 Hours

But Chinese now race to stabilize nearly 400 damaged dams
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 15, 2008 8:07 AM CDT
Girl Pulled From Quake Rubble After 50 Hours
In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, Premier Wen Jiabao, center, visits quake victims in Yingxiu Town, the quake epicenter in Sichuan Province, Wednesday.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yao Dawei)

A girl was rescued from school dorm rubble last night after 50 hours trapped in the wreckage from China’s earthquake, CNN reports. She was calling “uncle, save me," said a rescuer. "The voice could haunt me for the rest of my life.” The rescue was a bright spot as China reported that nearly 400 dams were cracked in the quake, and scrambled to relieve pressure and shore them up.

Reports of dam cracks were widespread, and the government ordered an inspection of all reservoirs. Meanwhile, the relief effort continued elsewhere as China dispatched 90 more rescue helicopters and another 30,000 troops, the BBC reports. The official death toll was 14,886 last night, but reports from various regions show far higher numbers. (More China stories.)

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