BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Relief troops walked for hours over rocks, debris, and mud in an effort to reach the hardest-hit area of the earthquake that struck central China on Monday, killing nearly 10,000 people, according to state-run media.
Setting out from Maerkang in Sichuan Province at 8 p.m. Monday, the approximately 100 troops had to travel 200 kilometers (124 miles) before reaching Wenchuan, the epicenter of the quake, also located in the province, as reported by Xinhua. After seven hours, they still had 70 kilometers (43 miles) left to cover.
"I have seen many collapsed civilian houses, and..."