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LUOSHUI TOWN, China (AP) — China warned the death toll from this week's earthquake could soar to some 50,000, while the government issued a rare public appeal Thursday for rescue equipment as it struggled to cope with the disaster. Rescue workers broke through key roads to the epicenter in the race to find survivors.More than 72 hours after the quake rattled central China, rescuers appeared to shift from poring through downed buildings for survivors to the grim duty of searching for bodies — with 10 million directly affected by Monday's temblor.

The official death toll reached at least 19,500 in Sichuan province alone where Monday's quake was centered, vice governor Li Chengyun told a news conference in the provincial capital of Chengdu. The figure was up from nearly 15,000 confirmed dead the day before.

But the State Council, the country's Cabinet, said the number could rise to some 50,000, state TV reported.

HARD-HIT COUNTY: Aid finally reaches Beichuan...

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