Survivors Seek the Missing as Hopes Fade

By Loretta Chao and Jason Leow in Baishui He, China, and Gordon Fairclough in Mianyang, China

Since learning this week that the earthquake in China might have buried her mother, Yang Yan has joined a solemn parade of those looking for the missing.

The 24-year-old spent Tuesday going in and out of hospitals in Pengzhou city, where she moved earlier this year to work in a teahouse and leave the watchful eyes of her parents. But she had no luck. On Wednesday, she headed to a shelter for refugees, but found only neighbors from her town and many more unknown faces.

On Thursday, she hiked and hitchhiked 13 miles past blocked roads to reach her family ...