A magnitude 7.9 earthquake rocked China from mountains to coast Monday, knocking down schools, homes and chemical plants and killing thousands of people, many of them children trapped in their classrooms.

As of May 13th 2008, the death toll stood at 10,000, with most of the victims in south-central China's Sichuan province, where the quake was centered 60 miles northwest of the provincial capital, Chengdu.

More than 1,000 rescue workers slogged on foot through mud and landslides all night to reach the mountainous epicenter. All roads in had been destroyed or seriously damaged. Tanks were also employed to navigate the difficult terrain. Helicopters were turned back because of bad weather.

The quake was so powerful that it was felt hundreds of miles away, from Beijing to Bangkok. It forced the evacuation of China's tallest building, Shanghai's Jin Mao Tower, and sent high-rise workers around the country scurrying for safety.

China instituted tight controls on information about the disaster, setting up checkpoints to try to bar Chinese and foreign correspondents from the most severely affected areas.

At least eight schools collapsed, according to Chinese news agencies, resulting in the deaths of children and teachers.

A dramatic rescue effort was mounted Monday in Dujiangyan city, near the epicenter, where a middle school collapsed and trapped 900 teenagers under the rubble. Some children were rescued.

But by today, most of the students being brought out were dead. Dozens of bodies lay in makeshift shelters, with a chain of security guards, arms locked, holding back a desperate, pushing crowd that hoped to catch a glimpse of a familiar piece of clothing as every few minutes another victim was carried from the shattered schoolhouse.