Many survivors of the earthquake of 7.1 degrees on Wednesday which struck the Chinese province of Qinghai have spent a second night outdoors, with low temperatures, while waiting to get more aid to the area and the death toll has amounted to 791.

In any case, some NGOs working in the field say the death toll could rise to 1,000.

'The latest figures indicate that there are 243 people missing and 11,477 injured, of whom 1174 are in serious condition, "said a spokesman for the rescue headquarters at the Yushu Tibetan prefecture, who said that 4200 had been injured and hospitalized.

The head of the Rescue Operations Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Zou Ming, said " We urgently need blankets, clothes and food."

There are at least 7093 troops involved in rescue operations in the city of Jiegu (Gyegu in Tibetan), one of the most affected by the earthquake and where they have already rescued 6,900 people.

The city is located in a remote area and the earthquake caused major landslides that damaged the roads, making it difficult for rescue operations sending equipment to the area.

The press notes that more rescue teams are arriving slowly Jiegu, home to 100,000 people where 85 percent of the houses, most built of wood, were destroyed.

There are still many people who remain buried in the rubble, according to media, as the days pass it will reveal the personal stories of survivors.

The official Xinhua news agency reported, for example, births during the three days of several babies in the affected area.

"It must have been the first life that came into the world after the catastrophe," he told a doctor about the birth of a child in one of the tents deployed in the city of Jiegu. "The baby has brought hope to this place in ruins," he said.

The Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, who has moved to the area, said that "even when there is only the slightest hope, we will work hard and we will never surrender."

For their part, Chinese President Hu Jintao, has canceled his official visit to Venezuela and Chile to return to China from Brazil.

The earthquake's epicenter was located at a depth of 33 kilometers, an area located at 33.1 degrees north latitude and 96.7 degrees east longitude in the district of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous province of the same name, and has a altitude of 4,000 meters.

Seismologists warn strong earthquakes could occur in the coming days and claim that "the replica of 6.3 magnitude that occurred following the earthquake is considered powerful in comparison to historical records," so that "we must be aware of more tremors around 6 degrees. "

According to Zhou Rongjun, a researcher at the Sichuan Earthquake Bureau, "with a modern seismological research, scientists are able to tell which places are more vulnerable to earthquakes, more or less intensity, but remains a challenge to give an exact date when they can occur. "

The earthquake is the most serious occurred in China since May 2008 when an earthquake of 8 degrees hit Sichuan province and caused about 90,000 deaths and disappearances.