At least 38 landslide sites were found near the county seat and a number of them were on roads linking the county with other areas, which might affect transport, it said.

More medical teams are working in Lingguan, a main township in Baoxing, after obstructed roads linking Lushan and Baoxing were reopened at about 5 p.m..

Earlier in the morning, telecom signals remained weak and frequently failed so it was difficult for the national health commission to remain in contact with the first two medical teams entering Lingguan, said Liang Wannian, a senior official with the commission.

Many of the injured in Lingguan have been transferred so they can receive better treatment.

The commission plans to airlift more medical workers from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, using Air Force helicopters, Liang said.

Ten medical teams are standing by at Lushan and will reinforce Baoxing when needed, he added.

Moreover, another national earthquake emergency rescue team arrived Sunday morning at Lushan for disaster relief, the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) said.

The team consists of 200 rescue workers, including 21 seismologists and 39 medical staff, according to the CEA. They have taken more than 30 tonnes of supplies to the quake area.

Rescuers on Saturday reached Qiaoqi, a town in Baoxing, which is largely inhabited by Tibetan people. They found that the damage there was not particularly serious with only one person injured so far, according to Qing Hai, a senior officer of the fire-fighting department of Sichuan provincial police force.

The rescue headquarters also called on volunteers and non-rescue vehicles not to enter this area without permission, in order to avoid additional traffic pressure in the affected areas.

Premier Li stressed strengthening the cooperation between central and local governments, so as to ensure scientific, effective, orderly and vigorous disaster-relief work.

Transportation must be unimpeded, said Li, adding that vehicles in the area should give way to rescue units and medical teams so that they can reach the places that need them.

He ordered releasing accurate information on the disaster situation, quake-relief work as well as death toll and injuries in a timely manner so as to boost people's confidence and thus make them reassured.

PREMIER'S SWIFT VISIT

During the Premier's time-scheduled stay in the quake-hit Sichuan Province, he slept in a makeshift tent, presided over meetings on board the plane and at the epicenter, visited quake relief personnel and survivors.

Before returning to Beijing, Premier Li Keqiang Sunday morning visited injured quake survivors in the West China Hospital in Chengdu.

"Be relaxed and relieved. Doctors here will make their utmost efforts to help you recover as soon as possible," Li told Yue Anhong, a local resident who was buried under rubble and seriously injured, at her sickbed.

Li asked medical staff to treat rescued people in a timely manner so as to reduce deaths and injuries to the minimum. He also ordered the guarantee of accommodation, food and safe water for residents in the quake zone as well as measures against any epidemic situation.

Li called for efforts to prevent further tragedies caused by aftershocks and geological disasters such as landslides. Public awareness of self-protection should also be promoted by government departments.

The Premier asked the central government's agencies to support and assist Sichuan provincial government which will be in charge of the comprehensive management for quake relief work from now on.

Currently, Vice Premier Wang Yang is heading to transport-isolated Baoxing County where information about the quake's aftermath is still not completely available.

The 7.0-magnitude quake occurred at 8:02 Beijing Time on Saturday morning and its epicenter, with a depth of 13 km, was monitored at 30.3 degrees north latitude and 103.0 degrees east longitude.

Ya'an has a population of 1.53 million and is known as the hometown of the giant panda. It is about 140 kilometers away from the provincial capital Chengdu City.