As of 8:00 AM Thursday, more than 130,000 troops were engaged in rescue operations in areas ravaged by the quake.

Also, by Thursday morning, rescuers had reached all 58 counties and towns stricken by Monday's massive quake.

As of 8:00 AM on Thursday, military transporters and helicopters had taken 300 flights to transport or air-drop rescuers and relief supplies.

With the prime time for survivors' rescue, 72 hours after the quake,passing, rescuers are desperate to excavate survivors.

Sniffer dogs were also dispatched to the quake-hit region to assist in search-and-rescue. In Dujiangyan City, sniffer dogs helped a group of armed forces from Beijing Military Command to search for survivors.

Among 38 survivors excavated from the debris, eight were discovered by sniffer dogs, sources with the Beijing Military Command said.

The railways are being used to ship in soldiers and relief aid. Of the 56 trains carrying 28,000 troops to quake-hit areas, 21 trains, or more than 10,000 soldiers arrived before 6 PM on Thursday, said a China Ministry of Railways spokesman.

A total of 844 railcars of civil materials are also en route, including 79,700 tents, 828,600 boxes of water, 18,870 pieces of medicine, and 351,100 cotton-padded coats and blankets, said Wang Yongping.

Also on the way are 157 railcars of rescue machinery and ambulances, 7 railcars of oil and 69 railcars of steel and other materials.

The ministry has collected plenty of empty passenger cars, box cars and container flat-cars standing by for emergency use, Wang said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)