Two days after an earthquake ravaged south-west China, rescuers continued the search for survivors, with efforts focussing on Wenchuan County, the epicentre. Wenchuan was cut-off until some 24 hours after the quake struck, the roads leading into the area blocked by rubble and weather conditions making aerial landings impossible. The death toll continued to soar as hitherto unreachable areas were breached by rescue workers. Nearly 15,000 persons were confirmed as dead, the majority in Sichuan Province, said Xinhua news agency. Sichuan's Vice-Governor Li Chengyun said over 25,000 persons remained buried and 14,000 missing, making a further sharp spike in the death toll a virtual certainty. By Wednesday afternoon, rescue troops had arrived in Wenchuan County by foot, while the skies cleared enough to enable air drops of food and medical supplies; 100 paratroopers landed in the area. The final death toll from Wenchuan, home to around 1,12,000 citizens, was still not available. However, rescuers at the scene were quoted as saying the devastation was "worse than expected.' In Yingxiu town, 80 per cent of the 10,000-population had reportedly died, leaving behind only 2,300 survivors. Premier Wen Jiabao flew to the epicentre to oversee relief work on Wednesday, having spent the morning meeting and comforting survivors elsewhere. Mr. Wen made appeals throughout the day, visiting collapsed schools and urging trapped children not to give up hope. As time began to run out for the majority of those buried, a few miraculous rescues offered glimmers of hope. A 34-year-old woman, who is eight months pregnant, was rescued after she spent 50 hours under debris in Dujiangyan. In the Beichuan region, a three-year-old girl, trapped for more than 40 hours under her parents' bodies, was also hauled to safety. More rain is forecast thus search and rescue operations would likely remain an uphill task. Xinhua reports: At least 201 students from one school died after the dormitory collapsed on 400 students who were taking an afternoon nap. Many students remained missing, but the exact number is not confirmed, said rescuers.