Small miracles amid carnage

RESCUERS have pulled a pupil to safety after being trapped for 80 hours in the debris of a school following China's massive earthquake, it was reported today.

State media said rescuers could still hear weak cries for help from the collapsed building in Sichuan province and hoped to rescue more students.

The country's president Hu Jintao has flown to the scene of the earthquake to lend support to its victims, as the death toll looks set to soar past 50,000.

Nearly four days after the quake hit, Chinese soldiers and police also finally reached all 58 counties and townships severely damaged, state media said.