In Beichuan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, 42-year-old Xiong Ji has been pulled from the debris alive. Rescuers have saved 13, 758 people from the ruins in Beichuan -- one of the worst-hit areas.

Beichuan is nestled in a narrow valley beneath forested mountains.

That's why the town was so badly hit by the earthquake. Rocks and boulders tumbled down on to the town below.

Heavy machinery have helped to open the blocked access road -- one of the main problems hampering rescue work.

Chen Guilin, general manager of Sichuan Huaxi Corp., said, "Structural steel and concrete supports collapsed. We think there is another layer of large steel and concrete. We will use cranes to remove it and then use cutting machines."

In the town, about 4,000 rescuers are still searching for survivors with the help of cranes.

A Crane operator said, "About three to four days. When I arrived, a ruined town lay before me. It was very badly hit. An entire school building collapsed and students were trapped under the rubble. We are terribly worried about them. I was so relieved to see one student was saved."

On Saturday, at least three more people were pulled from the debris in Beichuan. Time is pressing and rescuers say they won't give up.

(CCTV May 18, 2008)