YINGJIANG, Yunnan, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Chen Yue rushed to Yingjiang People's Hospital at midnight on Thursday, signed his name on a critically ill notice and left instantly.
Inside the hospital lay his wife, Yin Qi, who was fighting death after being seriously wounded in the earthquake that hit the southwestern border town of Yingjiang at noon.
Still on a rescue mission, Chen, a border security soldier, had no time to say goodbye to his wife and had no idea if he would see her again.
Staggering out of the hospital, the 34-year-old burst into tears and cried out.
Rescue work entered its second day on Friday, after the 5.8-magnitude tremor in Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province left 25 dead and hundreds injured.
Rescuers have been searching for survivors and pulling out people buried under collapsed buildings.
The earthquake toppled over 18,000 houses and apartments and left more than 49,000 people seriously damaged.
In the town of Yingjiang, a four-story building buckled, crushing the lower floors that house the Tianyuan Supermarket. Casualties were reported to be severe in this area.
Chen Yue led a team of soldiers and rushed to the site shortly after the quake. Since machines could not be operated, Chen and other rescuers dug through the rubble with their hands.
Only when two survivors were pulled out of the debris after four hours of arduous work did Chen realize that his fingers were bleeding and that his nails were crushed.
Back in his hometown in Pengsangxiang township, Chen's eleven relatives were buried under their destroyed houses. His elder sister called, begging for help.
"I am on a task and I can't go back. Don't worry, the government will send other rescuers to you," Chen said, comforting his sister on the phone.
During the 10 hours following the quake, Chen, together with his soldiers, helped more than 100 people out of the debris.
Chen is one of over 6,000 rescue workers who participated in the rescue operation.
Xiao Yao, another border security solider in Yingjiang County, was so busy evacuating residents and erecting tents that he left his pregnant wife unattended at home. Ten hours later, Xiao ran back to his home to find her in a coma.
Rescuers have saved at least 40 people who have been trapped and sent more than 200 injured people to hospitals.
So far, more than 120,000 local residents have been evacuated to safety. Those who sustained serious injuries were transferred to hospitals in surrounding regions for better treatment, because the local hospital was damaged and the power supply has not been fully resumed.
On-site rescue forces said that no one remained buried in the debris as of late Friday.
As the search comes to an end, the focus of the rescue has shifted to post-quake relief.
The provincial and local governments have earmarked 24 million yuan (3.6 million U.S. dollars) in emergency aid to the quake-hit regions.
Also, the central government allocated 55 million yuan for quake relief, while the Ministry of Civil Affairs prepared 5,000 tents, 10,000 quilts, 10,000 cotton coats, and 62 tonnes of fabric.
Despite a moderate magnitude on the Richter scale, Thursday's earthquake had a level-8 intensity at its epicenter, which was devastating, said Miao Chonggang, the director of the Emergency Response and Rescue Department of the China Earthquake Administration.
The area went trembled from more than 1,200 minor quakes over the past two months before Thursday's quake, which had shaken and damaged the buildings to some extent, experts said.
More than 600 pictures were taken by an unmanned aircraft which hovered above the quake-hit area for about 50 minutes on Friday to further assist rescue and relief work, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. 
