The death toll from China's deadliest earthquake in decades climbs to nearly 15,000, as tens of thousands of troops, firefighters and civilians race to save more than 25,000 people buried across a wide swathe of southwest Sichuan province. The death toll from China's deadliest earthquake in decades climbed to nearly 15,000 on Wednesday (May 14), as a desperate rescue operation continued. Tens of thousands of troops, firefighters and civilians raced to save more than 25,000 people buried across a wide swathe of southwest Sichuan province under collapsed schools, factories and hospitals after Monday's (May 12) 7.9 magnitude quake. The official death toll climbed to 14,866, as rescuers pulled at tangled chunks of buildings for signs of life. The government sent 50,000 troops to dig for victims. In Dujiangyan, a city midway between Chengdu and the epicentre, rescue workers fought to save children trapped in the rubble of a school demolished by the earthquake. Sichuan television...