Hanwang, China (AP) China is ordering 100 more helicopters into areas devastated by this week's earthquake.

The death toll already approaches 15,000 and unless help arrives soon, that toll is expected to skyrocket. Officials say tens of thousands remain buried in collapsed buildings from Monday's magnitude 7.9 earthquake.

Chinese media, meantime, report the government has issued a public plea for rescue equipment to aid in the search for survivors. That includes anything from hammers, shovels and demolition tools to cranes and rubber boats.

State television has shown many rescue workers digging through the rubble of demolished buildings with their bare hands.