"Please express our sincere gratitude to them for coming to help us from so far away," a young man, who only gave his surname Wei, told Xinhua reporters at the site.

Most residents like Wei in the county seat became homeless after the quake and they stayed in tents or temporary shelters built with tarpaulins.

Meanwhile, a team of rescue workers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) has vowed to keep scouring the rubble of southwest China's earthquake zone until all hope of survival "miracles" is lost.

"Although the chances of survival for those trapped are slim, we are still searching for miracles," said team leader Kim Yong Suk on Sunday.

Kim and his 40 rescue team members from the Republic of Korea were searching through the debris of a flattened chemical plant of Shifang city, Sichuan Province. They recovered two bodies on Saturday.

They have been using life detection equipment in the twisted ruins of buildings, factories and schools since they began work on Saturday, but have so far failed to find any survivors.

They flew into Sichuan on Friday, and Kim has yet to phone his family.

"I am most concerned about the rescue work and safety of my team," said Kim, 55. "I have no time to think about other things."

Two thirds of the crew had international rescue experience.

"We rescuers are of the same family," Kim said. When he saw TV footage of Chinese professional rescuers at work, he wanted to join them immediately.

Kim, with more than 33 years of rescue experience, said he was deeply moved by the great resources the Chinese government had dispatched in money, materials and personnel for disaster relief.

"We have brought advanced equipment and experienced crew, together with anti-epidemic medicines," said Kim.

As of 2 p.m. on Saturday, 28,881 people were confirmed dead nationwide in the massive earthquake and the death toll is estimated to exceed 50,000.

More than 200 foreign rescuers from Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Singapore are in Sichuan to help with rescue and relief.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2008)