The government said the nation would be in mourning on Wednesday with flags around the country and at embassies and consulates worldwide flown at half-mast a week after the 6.9-magnitude quake hit a remote corner of Qinghai province.

The death toll from the earthquake in northwestern China stands at 2,046 people, with 193 more missing, according to state media. Another 12,000 people have been injured and tens of thousands left homeless.

The government refused to comment on a request by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, to be allowed to visit the quake zone in the province where he was born.