More than 60,000 injured people had been rescued in quake-hit areas in southwestern Sichuan Province as of Thursday morning, the Sichuan quake control and relief headquarters said.

A headquarters spokesman said saving people's lives was the paramount task in disaster relief efforts, and all the 60,000 injured people had received timely treatment.

Premier Wen Jiabao said at a Wednesday evening meeting that "We must use all our forces, and save lives at whatever costs. Life is the most precious thing. We must be amenable to the people and the history."

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)