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16:46 GMT, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 17:46 UK

In pictures: China's grief

Rescuers search for survivors in Hanwang town, Sichuan, 14/05

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Two days on from China's most devastating earthquake for 30 years, the scale of the damage is just becoming clear. WARNING: VIEWERS MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING IMAGES DISTURBING.

Collapsed buildings in Beichuan county, Sichuan

Collapsed buildings in Beichuan county, Sichuan

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This picture shows the scale of the damage in one town alone in Beichuan county. Damaged or blocked roads mean rescuers have to dig through rubble with their bare hands.

The bereaved wait to identify bodies at a makeshift mortuary in Deyang, Sichuan, 14/05.

The bereaved wait to identify bodies at a makeshift mortuary in Deyang, Sichuan, 14/05.

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The official death toll stands at nearly 15,000 - but officials fear it could rise dramatically.

A woman rushes to check the identity of a dead teenager pulled from the rubble of a school that collapsed in the town of Hanwang, Sichuan

A woman rushes to check the identity of a dead teenager pulled from the rubble of a school that collapsed in the town of Hanwang, Sichuan

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Hundreds of children have been buried in a number of collapsed schools and hope is running out that more survivors will be pulled out.

Earthquake survivors in Jiangyou, Sichuan province. Photo from Mel Richardson

Earthquake survivors in Jiangyou, Sichuan province. Photo from Mel Richardson

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In dozens of towns, cities and villages across a wide swathe of Sichuan province, shocked survivors are huddling underneath makeshift shelters.

Injured people in Sichuan province. Photo from Mel Richardson

Injured people in Sichuan province. Photo from Mel Richardson

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Emergency medical centres have been set up on any available space to treat the thousands of injured people.

Elderly woman is pulled from a collapsed building in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 14/05

Elderly woman is pulled from a collapsed building in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 14/05

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There have been stories of valour among rescue teams - and survivors are still being pulled from the rubble.

Wen Jiabao in Jinyang, 14/05

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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao rushed to Sichuan province, where he has been comforting survivors and rallying emergency crews.

Workers counting money at the Shanghai office of the Red Cross, 14/05

Workers counting money at the Shanghai office of the Red Cross, 14/05

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Aid has been pouring in from all around China, as officials mount a huge rescue operation.

Candles lit at the scene of a collapsed school in Dujiangyan, 14/05

Candles lit at the scene of a collapsed school in Dujiangyan, 14/05

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But thousands of bodies remain buried in the debris of devastated buildings that now litter the landscape of Sichuan.

A resident sleeps outside of a hospital in Chengdu, 14/05.

A resident sleeps outside of a hospital in Chengdu, 14/05.

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And many of the survivors face the prospect of rebuilding their lives without the help of their loved ones.

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