Premier Li Keqiang and other officials, including Vice-Premier Wang Yang, flew to the disaster zone five hours after the earthquake and arrived at Lushan to oversee rescue efforts.

Residents said buildings shook like jelly for more than two minutes. Telephone wires resembled jump-ropes as the streets filled with people running from their buildings. Many didn't even have time to fully dress.

Cries of anguish pierced the air as people shouted for their loved ones. Cars on the streets were crushed by falling debris from buildings.

Chen Yuanyuan and her husband wandered dazed on the ruble-strewn streets before they found shelter in a hospital.

People were afraid to enter their homes amid the aftershocks. "It seemed as if the buildings would fall at any minute," said Zhu Ying, 33. "We dare not return to get our stuff."

Relief work was hindered as roads were torn open or blocked by landslides, and telecom facilities were badly damaged.

A military vehicle carrying 17 soldiers rushing to the scenes plummeted over a cliff, killing two soldiers and injuring six others, Xinhua reported.

China Daily reporters were stranded for five hours on the road to Lushan, even though they were driving with a road repair team. There are fears the death toll will rise as search-and-rescue operations continue.

Getting a figure for the precise number of the dead and injured is difficult as lines of communication to various areas have been ruptured, China Central Television reported.

A team from the Ministry of Public Security rescued 91 people and relocated more than 2,000 residents.

Wang Qianjun, senior officer from the team, said in a CCTV interview that the team walked more than 10 kilometers to the disaster zone because the road was blocked by a landslide.

A pregnant woman was pulled alive from the rubble and gave birth to her baby daughter safely in a tent.

As darkness fell, survivors gathered at temporary shelters in hospitals and schools, where hundreds of white tents were set up. Electricity supplies were resumed in part of county, according to the CCTV report.

Zhu Ying and her two children, a 1-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl, were spending the night in tents covered by blankets and plastic bags they found in the debris.

Tents and medicine are urgently needed.

"The electricity and telephone was cut off," she said. "I don't know whether my other family members are safe."

Bodies were pulled from the rubble amid heartbreaking scenes of grief as relatives realized that hope of their survival had vanished.

Zheng Lei, a medical expert, arrived at the disaster area this morning. His medial rescue team of 56 professionals treated more than 120 injured people. Many of the survivors had fractured bones.

Song Gang, a Sichuan resident who was traveling in Ya'an when the quake hit, bought 500 bottles of water and 200 boxes of instant noodles and rushed to Lushan county.

"I just wanted to help," he said. He said the supplies were all given out in five minutes.

President Xi Jinping has ordered the armed forces and police to mount search-and-rescue operations.

Xi said the military will give priority to the search-and-rescue mission, Xinhua reported.

Speaking to officials and troops in Lushan, Premier Li also emphasized the importance of time in the search-and-rescue missions.

"Currently, the most urgent issue is to save people. We cannot waste a single second in the first 72 hours after the quake, which is the peak time for saving lives," he said.

"First we have to rescue the trapped from the debris and then check the quake-hit buildings, one by one," Li said.

Li urged officials to ensure that quake victims have accommodation, food and safe drinking water. Li also promised to release information about the quake efficiently to dispel possible public concern.

"We have experienced disasters. We know how to cope with it, and we have an emergency mechanism. We have faith in our ability to overcome the difficulties, minimizing the losses under the leadership of the Party and the government," he said.

Contact the writer at hu-yongqi@chinadaily.com.cn

He Na and Jiang Xueqing contributed to this story.