The death toll in earthquake-hit Mianyang City jumped from 3,629 to 5,430 as of 11:40 AM Wednesday.

Information from the city's quake control and relief efforts headquarters said 1,396 people were missing, 18,486 were buried in debris, and 23,235 others were injured in the wake of Monday's quake.

A headquarters spokesman feared the fatality total would continue to soar as four towns with a combined population of more than 20,000 -- Chaping, Gaochuan, Chenjiaba and Nanba -- still remained out of touch.

An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. Monday and was felt widely across China. In Sichuan alone, the death toll was announced to be 12,012.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)