Beijing ? More than 19,000 schoolchildren died in a massive earthquake that struck Sichuan province in May, China acknowledged today for the first time.

The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing, but the government has never before said how many of the casualties were students. Most of them perished when their shoddily built elementary and secondary schools collapsed.

Their deaths became a sensitive political issue for the government, with the parents of dead children staging protests to demand investigations. Many parents said they have been subjected to intimidation and financial inducements to keep them silent.

The student death toll of 19,065 was presented by Wei Hong, the executive vice governor of Sichuan, at a news conference on preparations for the winter in the quake zone.

Wei said millions of those displaced in the earthquake still need quilts and repairs to their homes if they are to survive the coming winter, which is expected to be unusually cold.