The reconstruction of a damaged road into the epicenter of the massive quake in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, progressed further and was about 10 km away from the county seat as of 1:30 PM on Thursday, said the Ministry of Transport.

Road repair workers had arrived at the county border at noon.

The road from Lixian to Wenchuan, on which workers made the fastest progress, was cut off after a 7.8-magnitude quake struck southwest China on Monday.

The other three roads into Wenchuan county had also been blocked, making rescue work difficult.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)