Hundreds of soldiers have entered the earthquake epicenter Wenchuan on Tuesday and have pulled more than 1,000 people from debris.

Accordin to Chengdu Military Area Command, the soldiers reached Yingxiu Town of Wenchuan on foot, as the town was not accessible by vehicles due to the devastation.

On Monday, rescuers were stranded outside Wenchuan as roads were blocked by boulders and rocks.

The soldiers reported they saw more than 70 percent of the roads in the town were wracked, and nearly all bridges collapsed.

A large number of people were believed to be under debris.

Li Shiming, commander of the Chengdu Military Area Command, said the soldiers had distributed food and water to children and injured people in the town, and more supplies would be airdropped to the area.

China launched a massive government relief operation following the disaster. Some 50,000 soldiers and armed police have been dispatched to the quake-hit areas.

Li Yun, is a reporter with the official Xinhua News Agency.

"According to our estimates, about 16 thousand soldiers have reached the quake zone. More than 34 thousand are still on their way. And about 20 thousand of them will reach the area. We originally planned to transport the soldiers by train. To reach the area in time, we dispatched 11 military and civil planes to do the job. "

Li Yun also said the Chinese soldiers will carry out rescue work along the path and according the actual situations as they enter the quake zone.