Road traffic in Wenxian County in northwest China's Gansu Province has yet to be restored after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Wenchuan, a county in the neighboring Sichuan Province, on Monday.

He Xianlin, a county official, told Xinhua that after more than 20 hours' disruption, roads linking Wenxian to other counties are still waiting to be cleared.

He said that the local traffic department has organized staffs to clear the roads, but he couldn't say when traffic would be able to move again.

The death toll in Wenxian, about 200 kilometers from the quake epicenter, has risen to 51, with 109 injured, said He.

With 247,500 people, Wenxian County faces a looming shortage of food and drinking water.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)