China says death toll from April quake rises to nearly 2,700

China says final toll from April quake near 2,700

BEIJING — The death toll from a devastating earthquake that struck a remote Tibetan region in western China has risen to 2,698, officials said Monday.

Another 270 people remained missing after the April 14 earthquake that flattened tens of thousands of houses in Yushu county, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Qinghai Vice Governor Zhang Guangrong as telling reporters.

The new figure is a jump from the previously reported toll, which stood at a little over 2,200 in late April, with 12,000 injured.

China poured millions of dollars for relief efforts and deployed thousands of workers into the region after the quake struck. Sitting at around 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), the area’s remote location posed logistical difficulties.

Zhang also said 11 of the victims had not been identified, and that the deaths included 199 students.

The figures released by Zhang were confirmed by Liu Wei, a provincial spokesman, reached by phone.

Liu attributed the rise in the death toll to the discovery of more bodies, increased reporting of deaths by relatives and more deaths from the county’s migrant population registered.

The government has capitalized on the full-scale relief operation to show it cares about China’s Tibetan communities, some of which staged large anti-government protests in 2008.