About 30,500 people in the mountainous regions of China's southwestern Sichuan Province are still without a water supply following the May 12 earthquake.

According to Hou Xiongfei, director of the information office of the Sichuan provincial government, relief forces had helped more than 5.7 million people get a water supply.

By Wednesday noon, power supply in the eight worst-hit villages and townships was still out, Hou added.

In the neighboring Gansu Province where more than 360 people were killed in the massive quake, water supply had been restored for 597,000 of the 647,400 affected.

The death toll from the earthquake increased by 15 to 69,122 as of Wednesday noon, the Information Office of the State Council said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2008)