1,026 Bodies Recovered in Sakhalin Quake : Russia: Strong tremors rock region anew as rescue workers continue to hunt for possible survivors.

The known death toll from the earthquake that devastated Russia’s Far Eastern oil town of Neftegorsk passed the 1,000 mark Saturday as fresh tremors rippled through the region.

Emergencies ministry officials on Sakhalin island said after another day of work lifting rubble in the shattered town that the number of dead now found stood at 1,026.

The bodies of 11 children were among those recovered Saturday.

About 2,000 people in all are feared to have died.

A 4.5-magnitude tremor struck the remote town of Neftegorsk early Saturday.

It caused no further casualties or damage.

Last Sunday’s killer earthquake, which toppled Soviet-era buildings like houses of cards, measured magnitude 7.5.

Rescue workers toiled throughout the night into Saturday in freezing temperatures to hunt for people possibly clinging to life under the debris after six days injured and without water.

Despite heavy rains hampering rescue efforts, officials said rescue teams had detected survivors under the debris of an apartment block with the help of dogs.

But no new survivors had been brought out of the ruins.

The last people to be brought out alive were a boy, Misha Deputatov, and 33-year-old Fyodor Yakimov, on Friday.

In a poignant report Saturday, Itar-Tass news agency said 17-year-old Vyacheslav Smirnov was the only one of his school class to have survived to be able to receive a graduation certificate marking 10 years at school.

Tass said Japan, South Korea and Belgium were among foreign countries to have contributed relief, including about 20 tons of food and more than 4,000 tons of medicines and medical equipment.

Tass said foreign correspondents had now been barred from the disaster zone “due to the complex situation in the region.”

A Japanese television crew said Saturday that they were not allowed by local officials into Neftegorsk.