Chinese President Hu Jintao has ordered an all-out effort to help the victims of a massive earthquake and traveled to the area himself.  The President has requested international aid to help with disaster relief efforts and international aid is coming in to help the Chinese people through this natural crisis.

At the moment, Government officials say around 10,000 people were killed by the 7.9-magnitude quake, but that figure is expected to change as more information on victims and survivors who are currently trapped becomes available.The massive quake struck Monday afternoon US time. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao traveled to the region to direct the rescue work and looked visibly shaken by the massive destruction and casualties of the quake. The destruction is so extensive that rescuers are running into difficulty trying to even get into some of the affected areas to begin rescue.

Roads, rails, power lines, sewer systems and all public works are damaged or destroyed.  According to local reports, at least six schools collapsed to some extent, trapping almost 900 students, teenagers,  in the rubble.

The source of this earthquake was reported to be in the Sichuan province. But tremors were felt all the way to Beijing, almost 1000 miles away. Reports say it was felt as far as Thailand and Vietnam.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN: This was the moment when China shook. “Our building is still moving. This is real, absolutely real,” says this man in the city of Chengdu, about 60 miles from the epicenter. Outside, streets were crowded with the dazed and frightened. “I was so scared,” says this woman. “The room I was staying in was shaking like this.”

Hospitals were evacuated. There was some damage and minor injuries in the area.

The first major quake was felt mid-afternoon, and according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was followed by other powerful tremors. “The magnitude was big, and the area impacted was vast as well,” says this government official. The tremors were felt across more than a dozen provinces, most of the country and beyond; all the way to Shanghai in the south, to Beijing in the north. In fact, here in Beijing about 900 miles from the epicenter, we felt the tremor. But at the time, it wasn’t clear what was happening. The building began to sway, so I came out here to this balcony. And for about two minutes, there was no noise, just a rolling motion. Elsewhere in the capital, thousands fled buildings; others were ordered to leave.

But across the country, state media report the number of dead and injured is starting to rise. Thousands of troops have been ordered in to help survivors, as China confronts the full extent of this natural disaster. John Vause, CNN, Beijing.