The death toll from an earthquake in a Tibetan community of northwest China has risen to 791 as freezing temperatures and the high altitude leave hopes of finding more survivors fading rapidly.
Rescuers took heart when they found a 13-year-old girl who had been buried in the ruins of a hotel since the 7.1 magnitude tremor razed the remote town of Yushu early on Wednesday. Chengli Maomu was in good physical condition but hysterical when she was brought out after several hours of digging by rescuers and volunteers. She was carried away for medical treatment in the arms of a family member.
But temperatures below freezing, coupled with the low oxygen that can cause the blood vessels of the injured to constrict, sharply reduced the