Soldiers and police rescued another 163 people buried under rubble on Friday. They had survived for nearly 90 hours after the earthquake hit.

Soldiers and police rescued another 163 people buried under rubble on Friday. (CCTV.com)

The survivors include 57 from An County and Mianyang City, 53 from Deyang City and Mianzhu City as well as 38 from Wenchuan County and Dujiangyan City.

More than 100-thousand soldiers and police officers pulled over 3-and-a-half-thousand people from collapsed buildings, but for most of them, it was too late. More than two thousand injured locals were treated on Friday, and rescue teams repaired about 300 kilometers of roads.

The State Emergency Response Center's latest confirmed death toll stands at 22-thousand and 69.

(CCTV May 17, 2008)