BEIJING: The confirmed earthquake death toll in China has risen to 29,000, a central government official said Saturday. Another 198,347 people have been injured as of 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), Guo Weimin, a spokesman for China''s State Council, told a news conference. Government officials have previously estimated that the death toll from Monday''s 7.9-magnitude earthquake is above 50,000. The rise in the toll came as officials in one major city near the epicenter, Deyang, sharply raised their estimate on how many residents died there to 20,000. Sichuan province, which includes Deyang, was by far the worst hit. The state-run news agency on Saturday said that more than 28,300 people were confirmed dead in Sichuan.