The death toll from Monday's earthquake has risen to 3,000 in Mianzhu City in southwest China's Sichuan Province, up from 2,000, rescuers said on Wednesday.

Rescuers have buried 80 percent of the bodies deep underground, according to the local disaster relief headquarters.

They have pulled about 500 people alive out of the debris, the headquarters said.

More than 10,000 people were injured in the quake and 20,000 people in the three outer villages were still out of reach.

Rescuers have had difficulty in accessing these villages, where roads were cut off and flood risks may cause further havoc.

Mianzhu is close to the epicenter of the quake in Wenchuan County, with its Hanwang Township just 30 km from Wenchuan.

The 7.8-magnitude quake has left more than 12,000 people dead in Sichuan. Another 26,206 people were injured and 9,404 buried in debris. In addition, 7,841 people remain missing, according to the latest government statistics.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)