Yingxiu: epicentre of the earthquake

The devastated town of Yingxiu, the rubble is all that is left of the infant school Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Troops sit on the steps of Yingxiu middle school between shifts spent searching for childrens' bodies Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Children's books in the rubble of Yingxiu infant school Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Survivors wander among the remains of their homes Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Rescuers walk through a section of the elevated expressway brought to earth Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

A motorway tunnel entrance - the road is blocked by a landslide on the other side Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Troops navigate the speedboats taking people to safety along the Min river Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

A soldier cycles past an overturned truck and the giant boulder that knocked it off the road near the town Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Exhausted rescue workers take a break Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Mourners burn clothes because they cannot find loved ones' bodies for a proper funeral Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

The giant Chinese characters for "middle school" are tilted along with the collapsed building in which hundreds of children died Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Survivors carry family members to safety, fearing landslides from aftershocks Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

A tug boat pulls a military barge filled with supplies Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian

Rubble on both sides of the street in Yingxiu Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian