HELP ON THE WAY: Rescuers attempting yesterday to free a pupil trapped beneath the debris at Wudu Primary School in Mianzhu city in south-west China's Sichuan province. -- PHOTO: AP

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Wenchuan county, the epicentre of the 7.9-magnitude quake which hammered China's Sichuan province on Monday afternoon, saw help for the first time when troops trekked into the devastated mountainous area yesterday.

A team of 1,300 People's Liberation Army soldiers and medics was sent in after Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, a trained geologist, ordered troops to enter the region as soon as possible - even if they had to walk.

The soldiers have pulled more than 1,000 people from debris, according to the disaster relief headquarters of the Chengdu Military Area Command, Xinhua said.

Lieutenant-General Li Shiming told China Central Television that the town of Yingxiu, located exactly at the epicentre, had suffered 'unusually severe' damage.

Most of the roads had been damaged and all bridges destroyed, he said.

Survivors walk 50km ON THE way to Wenchuan, a Xinhua reporter encountered five men who escaped the disaster. Mr Tan Bin, 56, a resident in the Shuimo township of Wenchuan, said they had walked more than 50km from Wenchuan. He said: 'When the quake happened, we couldn't stand straight, and we held each other's hands and ran out of our factory. The five men's clothes were wet, dirty and they all had bruises. ... more Guided away from disaster A tour guide, surnamed Chen, led 12 tourists and walked four hours out of the quake center. She recalled: 'We were driving from Chongqing to the Jiuzhaigou scenic area in the north, but our bus was stuck in a tunnel in Wenchuan when the earthquake happened. ... more RELATED LINKS  TOLL SOARS PAST 12,000

The town's population of 6,000 was also suffering from dangerously low supplies of food, water and medicine

'Helicopters are prepared to airlift food, medicine, and water to the area once weather conditions allow,' he said, offering no information on the casualties.

Latest figures show that at least 57 people were killed in Wenchuan. But these numbers are expected to spike once more rescuers arrive.

Wenchuan, 150km northwest of Chengdu, has 110,000 inhabitants, including a sizeable ethnic Qiang population.

It was isolated by mudslides and boulders on the roads, forcing the government to order the air force to be prepared to parachute relief troops into the county.

For half a day after the earthquake struck on Monday afternoon, there was not a word from the county.

When the government finally reached county party secretary Wang Bin via satellite phone, he sobbed and said that most of the farmhouses in the area had collapsed and many houses were in danger.

He had no news of 60,000 people in the townships and villages directly at the epicentre.

Aba prefecture deputy secretary-general He Biao, who spoke to Mr Wang, told the official Xinhua news agency: 'I am so worried! I am so worried!'

Wenchuan is part of the prefecture.

Mr Wang pleaded for tents, food and medical goods to be air-dropped.

The authorities said that the roads into Wenchuan might be reopened in two days after extensive repair work.

Road maintenance facilities and staff in the whole province had all been sent to repair the damaged roads.

XINHUA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS