The death toll from a magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck Jiuzhaigou county in Sichuan province on Tuesday night rose to 20 and the tally of the injured rose to 431, including 18 seriously, by Thursday noon.
About 60,000 tourists and migrant workers had been evacuated from the epicenter of the quake by 5 pm Wednesday.
"The evacuation has been swift and efficient," said Liu Zuoming, director of the disaster relief headquarters.
The quake struck Jiuzhaigou county in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture at 9:19 pm on Tuesday at a depth of 20 kilometers.
More than 1,000 aftershocks — the strongest magnitude-4.6 — had struck by late Wednesday, according to the China Earthquake Administration.
On Tuesday night, President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to rapidly organize relief work and rescue the injured. Xi said authorities should check the impact of the earthquake, evacuate and settle visitors and local people, and reduce death and injuries as much as possible.
Since the earthquake took place during the peak tourist season as well as flood season, authorities should enhance meteorological early warnings and geological monitoring to guard against other disasters and try their best to protect people's lives and property, Xi added.
At least eight of the dead were tourists at Jiuzhaigou, which has a national park known for its spectacular waterfalls and karst formations, according to the disaster relief headquarters.
Two of the dead were locals and the status of nine was not yet known.
A French man, MaxenceVallon, 18, a Canadian woman and another unidentified foreigner were among the injured, according to the provincial government.
The provincial health and family planning commission put together a team to transfer the seriously injured and provided basic medical treatment and psychological assistance in places where tourists and residents have taken shelter.
Most of the injured were being treated at the county hospital, while some of the seriously wounded were transferred to hospitals in the cities of Mianyang and the provincial capital of Chengdu, according to the commission.
About 500 medical workers from all across the province have been providing emergency treatment. No buildings collapsed in the quake, but some 1,680 houses were damaged, according to the provincial government.
Rescue forces including Armed Police and the PLA Ground Force were busy clearing roads and distributing relief materials, such as tents.
Data from the park's website show that it has received more than 30,000 tourists a day since the beginning of August. Aug 4 alone saw about 41,000 tourists, nearly reaching full capacity. On Tuesday, more than 38,000 tourists visited the park, up 16.5 percent from the same day last year.
Among the tourists about half were traveling alone and the other half were in groups.
The administration has asked the Sichuan Tourism Development Committee to collect information about tourists in Jiuzhaigou and report promptly.
Authorities in Sichuan have cooperated with travel agencies, local governments and hotels to evacuate tourists since Tuesday night.
Local tourism authorities also asked their counterparts in neighboring cities such as Deyang and Mianyang to offer necessary help for tourists who pass by.
Taiwan's Tourism Bureau said on Wednesday that tourists from Taiwan and personnel from 19 tour groups in Jiuzhaigou were all safe.
