BEICHUAN, CHINA — The 30 bodies in plastic bags lay strewn outside the tea factory, at the foot of the forensic scientist, flies buzzing all around. From some he had collected molars, and from others cartilage. He had worked quickly, 20 minutes per body.

Soldiers and rescue workers were rushing to unload the earthquake victims into a mass burial pit, where the dirt was still loose, sprinkled with white lime powder.

"The bodies are often in bad condition and decaying; yesterday it rained, and today it's very sunny," the scientist, Dr. Liang Weibo, said through a surgical mask. "This makes identifying them difficult."

They are unknown people being quickly cremated or buried in unmarked graves, and there are thousands or tens of thousands of them across quake-ravaged Sichuan province. It may be months or years before family members discover their fate, if they ever do. They are very likely among the nearly 25,000 people the Chinese government classifies ...

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