May 17 (Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao, in his first visit to the mountainous Sichuan earthquake zone, said rescue workers must ``race against time'' as hope fades for thousands buried in the wreckage of the May 12 disaster.

Hu flew yesterday to Mianyang city, about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) southwest of Beijing, to talk with soldiers and rescue workers and to console survivors, state-run Xinhua News Agency said. The death toll from the magnitude 7.9 earthquake, the most powerful to hit China in more than half a century, climbed past 22,000 and may reach 50,000 with 169,000 injured, Xinhua reported.

``Although the time for the best chance of rescue, the first 72 hours after an earthquake, has passed, saving lives remains the top priority of our work,'' Hu said at a meeting with survivors, according to Xinhua. ``Quake relief work has entered the most crucial phase. We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts.''

The government has deployed more than 130,000 soldiers and relief workers and 110 helicopters in operations to find as many as 30,000 people still buried and injured in the province. Sichuan's vice governor, Li Chengyun, said 27,560 people have been rescued so far.

More than 4.7 million houses were leveled by the quake in the three worst-hit provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi, the government reported. As many as 5 million people have been relocated, Li said, according to Xinhua.

Little Insurance Coverage

Just 5 percent of the more than $20 billion in damage is covered by insurance, according to estimates from an official of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission who declined to be identified. By contrast, about half of the $120 billion of estimated costs from Hurricane Katrina, the most expensive storm in U.S. history, was insured.

Rescue workers and troops are trying to bring lifting equipment across the mountainous terrain to reach thousands of survivors who may be under debris. The road to Beichuan was choked with traffic as volunteers drove trucks carrying food, water and blankets to the area.

``Even though 72 hours have passed, we must still consider saving lives as our most immediate and most important task,'' Li said at a news conference in Chengdu, the provincial capital. ``We also need to treat the injured, rebuild damaged infrastructure as soon as possible and ensure the basic needs of people are met.''

Schools Collapsed

Electricity was restored at 11:34 p.m. last night to hospitals, water utilities, police stations and relief headquarters in the quake epicenter county of Wenchuan, without power for 105 hours, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Housing Ministry has ordered local authorities to investigate whether substandard construction was the reason for the widespread collapse of schools. Almost 7,000 schools were among 216,000 structures destroyed, according to the ministry's latest tally.

Three girls were pulled from the ruins of their school in the town of Beichuan at about 4:30 a.m. local time yesterday, more than 86 hours after they were buried, as onlookers cheered.

A 72-year-old woman, Deng Zhongqun, was injured and trapped by a falling girder in her home and survived for four days by eating nuts, Xinhua said.

`Walking Miles'

``Thank goodness for the soldiers'' who arrived, Deng said. ``I only weigh 65 kilograms (143 pounds) and they carried me by turns on their backs, walking miles to reach the medical station.''

Another quake survivor, Peng Zhijun, 46, was pulled alive from the rubble yesterday after surviving by consuming a half- back of cigarettes, napkins and his own urine, Xinhua reported today, citing Peng.

Beichuan, where more than 5,000 are confirmed dead, is 121 kilometers northeast of the quake's epicenter and was almost completely leveled.

The May 12 earthquake was the most powerful to hit China, the world's most populous country with 1.3 billion people, since a magnitude-8.6 quake struck Tibet in 1950, killing 1,526.

The quake has directly affected about half of the 20 million people in the region, Xinhua said. The central government has allocated 3.41 billion yuan ($488 million) for relief and recovery, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

The relief operation, one of the biggest China has mounted, may escalate as officials check damage to reservoirs and hydro- electric stations near the epicenter. The government allocated 193 million yuan of emergency funds to repair dams after an agency said 391 were in a ``dangerous condition.''

Hurried Inspections

The government is trying to carry out the inspections before the summer wet season arrives. Rain held off for another day, allowing helicopters to drop supplies to villages in remote areas.

It will be cloudy with light rain and thunder in the quake zone today, according to the China Meteorological Association. Some areas may have strong winds and this may affect rescue work, the weather bureau said. Temperatures will be up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). There may be more rain May 19-21.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Wang Baodong said at a briefing in Washington he was unaware of any damage or danger to the nation's nuclear reactors.

Nuclear Weapons Facilities

China has non-power-generating nuclear installations in Sichuan province, including a reactor and a manufacturing site for nuclear weapons that handles chemical elements found in tritium, plutonium and uranium, Agence France-Presse said, citing France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, which has memos from its Chinese counterpart.

The China National Nuclear Safety Administration hadn't found any radioactive leaks, the news agency said. Still, the French agency said it wasn't yet possible to rule out damage to these sites, AFP reported.

An aftershock of magnitude 5.9 hit the region at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, triggering landslides and burying cars, Xinhua reported. Sichuan's Li told Xinhua there have been 4,432 aftershocks recorded in the province in the past four days.

Japanese relief workers arrived in the area yesterday, Xinhua said. Other countries are sending rescuers after the Chinese reversed earlier plans and accepted offers of international assistance.

Li Wenliang, a counselor at the Foreign Ministry, said it marks the first time the government has accepted foreign professionals to help domestic disaster rescue and relief.

UN Releases Funds

The United Nations released $7 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund yesterday to purchase aid. The UN's World Food Program said 1.6 million packs of ready-to-eat noodles will be turned over to the Red Cross for distribution in Mianyang, where tens of thousands of people have taken refuge.

The UN Children's Fund said it will deliver 900 tents, 15,000 blankets and 60,000 school kits within two days.

The U.S. hopes to airlift supplies of food, tents and generators into China within two days, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a briefing in Washington. China hasn't accepted American relief workers, said the Washington Embassy's Wang.

Chinese officials requested advice from the U.S. on infectious disease control, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said at a news conference yesterday in Beijing. Leavitt, in China to discuss food and product safety efforts, said the U.S. has assembled experts on the issue through the Centers for Disease Control and has begun consultations.

``Everything I know about the Chinese response is positive,'' Leavitt said. ``It is clear to me that they have mobilized all their resources.''

To contact the reporters on this story: William Bi in Dujiangyan at wbi@bloomberg.net; Eugene Tang via the Beijing bureau on eugenetang@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 16, 2008 22:51 EDT