Beijing - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday flew to the earthquake-devastated south-western province of Sichuan, where at least 20,000 people died and an estimated 30,000 are missing under rubble.

Hu planned to "console the victims and inspect the rescue and relief work," the official Xinhua news agency said.

He would also visit some of the troops and medical staff who are working round the clock on relief efforts in Sichuan, the agency said.

Premier Wen Jiabao has stayed in Sichuan since Monday to oversee relief work, flying by helicopter to some of the worst-hit areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday, Wen said the government would do "whatever the country is capable of to combat the disaster."

"It is still within the critical period of saving lives, and we won't give up even if there exists the slightest hope of finding more survivors," the agency quoted Wen as saying.

He said the government had reduced loss of life "to the greatest extent possible" through quick relief operations that were "orderly, forceful and effective."

The scale of the disaster after Monday's quake prompted the government to allow foreign rescue services into China for the first time.

A Japanese team of 31 rescuers had already arrived in Sichuan and a second team was scheduled to join them.

The government has also agreed to teams from Russia, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan helping with efforts to rescue more survivors.

Some 20,000 people were rescued on Thursday as workers reopened two key roads to towns close to the epicentre of the quake.

The government's disaster relief office on Thursday evening said more than 50,000 people could have died in the quake.

The semi-official China News Service quoted state radio as saying the disaster area created by the 7.8-magnitude quake was estimated at 100,000 square kilometres.

Damage to several dams and rivers posed new threats to some quake-hit towns and villages.

At least 130,000 troops and paramilitary police were sent to earthquake-hit areas, where several towns close to the epicentre were nearly razed.

Dozens of extra helicopters and planes were brought in on Thursday to drop food, clothing and bedding to residents of Sichuan's worst-hit counties of Beichuan and Wenchuan. (dpa)