China revises missing figure

2008-05-14 17:07

Beijing - The number of people missing in China's quake-hit Sichuan province has been revised down to 1 405, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.

The agency had earlier put the number of missing at 14 501, but said the real figure was 1 405 and blamed the error on a miscommunication with its reporter.

A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit the province on Monday, all but wiping out entire towns and villages and plunging the nation into an all-out relief effort.

- AFP