CHENGDU, CHINA — The death toll in China's devastating earthquake topped 40,000 Tuesday as the country entered a third day of national mourning and struggled to shelter more than 5 million people left homeless.
As the search-and-rescue effort across the mountainous quake zone continued for a ninth day, hope of finding more survivors grew increasingly dim. But small miracles abound.
State media reported that a 31-year-old worker had been rescued at a damaged hydroelectric power plant. Ma Yuanjiang said via CCTV that he survived for 178 hours by drinking his own urine through an empty water bottle and eating four pieces of paper he found in the dark.
The official New China News Agency also reported the rescue of a 60-year-old woman it identified as Wang Liqun, a retiree who had survived on rainwater.
Here in the capital of Sichuan province, the mood was somber as residents faced the threat of more aftershocks and sought to pay respects to the dead.
The streets were eerily empty as many shops closed in response to a government call to cease all entertaining activities during three days of mourning. Authorities also warned that more tremors were expected to hit the region, further hampering rescue efforts and rattling nerves.
After a night of sleeping on the streets and in cars, residents came to Tianfu Square in the shadow of a giant white statue of Mao Tse-tung to honor the dead. Many wore black. Some piled wreaths and fresh flowers under the national flag flying at half-staff. At dusk they held a second candlelight vigil.
Mourners arrived throughout the day to stand in silence and read the tiny handwritten messages left with the bouquets or on a long, white banner stretched out on the ground. "Hang in there, Sichuan!" said a message. "Compatriots, take care on your journey to heaven."
"Even if you can't see what I wrote, I still want to do it because it's my way of paying tribute," said Xu Zhengyu, 15, after adding his words to the sea of signatures on the banner.
Nearby, an elderly couple stood in front of the mound of wreaths with tears in their eyes.
"It came so suddenly. So many people are gone in an instant, especially the young students," whispered Ho Jinshu, 65, the woman.
Her brother-in-law's family of five was still missing near the epicenter of the magnitude 7.9 temblor that struck May 12, decimating entire communities.
