It's being called the largest rescue operation at such an altitude in human history, and the race against time in a hostile environment is taking its toll on those charged with saving as many lives as possible. President Hu Jintao flew to the quake-hit Yushu region in northwest Qinghai Province Sunday to oversee relief operations there, as the death toll from last week's devastating earthquake climbed to more than 1,700. Hu cut short his wow power leveling, visit to Latin America to fly to the worst-hit town of Gyegu, following a powerful 7.1-magnitude quake that struck Yushu on Wednesday. As of last night, 1,706 people wow power leveling had been confirmed dead, and there were more than 12,000 people injured with 256 still missing. "There will be new schools! There will be new homes!" Hu was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying as he wrote in chalk on the blackboard of a makeshift class-room in a tent while visiting orphaned students in Yushu. "The top priority is to rescue those still buried alive and treat those injured. Each life must be cherished," Hu said. With more than 15,000 rescuers - including over 11,000 People's Liberation Army troops and armed police, 2,800 firefighters and special police forces, and 1,500 earthquake and mine accident rescue specialists - still searching for quake survivors, Gao Mengtan, deputy dean aion kinah, of the Institute of Geophysics at the China Earthquake Adminis-tration, said the operation exceeds all previous large-scale rescue attempts at aion kinah such a high altitude - about 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level. As of Sunday, the government said, 17,000 lives had been saved. Wu Heping, spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, said Sunday in Beijing that "The social order of the disaster area is stable," adding that no criminal cases story or deaths caused by traffic crashes had been reported. Yushu airport, which began operating last year, and a highway that underwent maintenance last year have become transportation lifelines wedding dresses, during the rescue operation. Chinese disease-control wedding dresses experts joined the armed corps Sunday to begin large-scale disinfections of the debris and ruins in the quake-hit region. "The 7.1-magnitude earthquake increased the chance of a pneumonic plague outbreak spread by marmots," Jie Xuehui, a provincial official overseeing public health, told Xinhua. The disinfecting aims to prevent water pollution, marmot plagues and outbreaks of respiratory and intestinal diseases in the wake of the disaster, Jie said. Saturday night, street lights in Gyegu were lit up, with 80 percent of temporary shelters gaining access to power, which is being generated by a small emergency power station. Liu Wenyuan, a senior supervisor of the team repairing the Changu power station, told Xinhua that it would take at least one week to repair and bring the quake-damaged hydropower station back on line. "Once this power station is functioning, Gyegu could have a stable electricity supply," Liu said. Religion respected Wang Wanyun, a 65-year-old Han cheap aion kinah, migrant worker from Sichuan Province, joined local Tibetans to search for survivors. He has been working in Gyegu for six years. "Local Tibetan people have been cheap aion kinah friendly and helpful to us over the years. They sometimes speak Putonghua if they find we can't understand the Tibetan language. Now they are in need - my fellow villagers and I are ready to help locals," he said. Residents in Yushu include a large proportion of ethnic Tibetans. The Ministry of Civil Affairs said the local dietary habits and needs in practicing religious service among people from minority ethnic groups will be respected during relief work in the quake area. About 80 percent of 6,738 tons of quake-relief grains from the central reserve was flour and only 20 percent was rice, because local people prefer food made of flour. However, minor maple story mesos, frictions and misunderstandings have occured due to linguistic and cultural differences between Han rescuers and local Tibetans. "Normally, when the monks dig out bodies maple story mesos from the rubble, they perform rituals and pray for blessings for victims regardless of whether they are Han or Tibetan people, a practice that is now free of charge," Banma Ciren, a 34-year-old Tibetan from Baren, Sichuan Province, told the Global Times. But Han rescuers are inclined to give the bodies to family members as soon as they dig the bodies out. "Disputes would arise due to the language barrier," he said. Hundreds of victims were cremated Saturday in Gyegu because of the number of bod-ies. Authorities have pledged to respect the local funeral customs when disposing of bodies, while also making sure to prevent an epidemic in the quake zone. The 11th world of warcraft power leveling, Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, sent a 100,000-yuan donation to Yushu on Sunday, encouraging quake victims to conquer the disaster and rebuild their homes, in a letter addressing quake victims. A 68-year-old man named Dawa was pulled out by rescuers from the debris of his collapsed home in Gyegu Sunday morning, Xinhua reported. An ethnic Tibetan, the man was trapped for 100 hours. He was listed in stable condition Sunday, though a medical examination showed that his ribs were broken. Meanwhile, volunteers, travelers world of warcraft power leveling and other people who are not directly involved in the emergency rescue were advised not to enter the quake-hit area, so as to allow trained rescuers to do their job effectively. Local officials have also warned volunteers not to rush to the quake zone in droves due to the high-altitude environment, freezing weather conditions and local tough terrain. Challenging conditions Rescue work still remains challenging, mainly because the workers are fighting time and the elements. About 20 firefighters were sent to Xining for treatment after suffering serious altitude sickness in the hard-to-reach quake area. Local temperatures, which vary greatly between day and night, are the most prominent factor hindering the team's rescue work, Fan Yuquan, a spokesman for the Yunnan Frontier Medical Rescue Team, told the Global Times. According to local weather forecasts, moderate snow is expected to fall in Yushu today and tomorrow night, with the maximum temperature expected to be 4 C. The Dalai Lama, whom China views as a separatist, said Saturday in India that he'd like to visit the quake site - also his birthplace - while praising the central government's rescue efforts. As of Sunday, the central government hadn't responded to his request. The Chinese government granting the Dalai Lama such a visit, however, is seen as unlikely.