Death toll rises to 1,339 in China quake

YUSHU, Qinghai, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The death toll has climbed to 1,339 from a devastating earthquake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, with another 332 still missing, rescuers said Saturday.

The 7.1-magnitude quake, which struck the Yushu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu at 7:49 a.m. Wednesday, has also left 11,849 injured, 1,297 severely, Xia Xueping, a spokesman for the rescue headquarters, told a press conference.

Also Saturday, hundreds of victims were cremated on a hillside in Gyegu, the hardest quake-hit town in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, with relatives mourning in tears and monks chanting Buddhist prayers.