Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday asked rescuers to use "every available means" to reach every village affected by the May 12 earthquake in southwest China.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) comforts a baby at a relief center in Shifang city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 18, 2008. President Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), arrived in Shifang City to console the victims and rescuers on Sunday morning.

"We must try every method to send rescuers to every quake-hit village, instead of just working in towns and cities, since a large number of soldiers have entered the quake-hit regions," said Hu, while visiting Yinghua township of Shifang city, Sichuan Province.

More than 32,000 people have been confirmed dead in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake hitting northwest Sichuan.

Hu asked local officials to dispatch rescue teams and materials waiting in the cities and counties to towns and villages as soon as possible to collect damages and real situations at grassroots.

"We must send rescue teams, carrying food and drinking water, to the worst-hit villages, even on foot, as soon as possible," Hu said, travelling on bumpy roads to visit one quake-hit villages to another, comforting victims and ecouraging resuers..

He was surrounded by wailing women when he visited a temporary shelter camp at Yinghua.

"I know you lost family and property. I share the pain with you," he said. "We will try every effort to save your people once there is the slightest hope and possibility."

Hu also hugged an 8-year-old boy when visiting a family in the camp and told him, "You must learn to be brave and not to surrender to difficulties even if you are a child. We shall have confidence, courage and strength."