The statement said 365,000 people had been injured in the earthquake and a total of 6,541 people had been rescued from under collapsed buildings.
Chinese authorities earlier said they expected the final death toll to exceed 80,000.
At least another 700,000 people are under threat from flash floods as some 69 dams and reservoirs are in danger of bursting their banks. Heavy rains and mudslides have also blocked rivers and created 'quake lakes' which is adding to the burden on rescue workers amid fears of massive flooding and further disaster to an already traumatized population.
Over 5,500 children have been orphaned as a result of the quake. The China Daily paper said that many Chinese couples had expressed a desire to adopt, but the Ministry of Civil Affairs is urging them to remain patient while the authorities make every possible effort to reunite children with their parents or relatives.
"The process of adopting earthquake orphans will start in accordance with laws after the situation in disaster areas stabilizes and the children's status is confirmed," the ministry said in a statement.
The quake, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale according to China's Seismological Bureau, was the worst to hit the country in more than three decades, and affected eight provinces, with Sichuan suffering the bulk of the devastation.
Around 80% of buildings have been destroyed in some areas.
Over 8,000 aftershocks have been detected in Sichuan since May 12.
