By Xinhua,
Beijing : China’s Ministry of Finance Friday set aside another 1.17 billion yuan ($167 million) for disaster relief work in the wake of Monday’s massive earthquake in the country.
According to officials, at least 19,000 people were killed in the southwestern province of Sichuan alone in the quake.
The quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, jolted the province Monday, killing and wounding thousands of people in the aftermath.
China has allocated so far around 3.41 billion yuan, including the latest amount, for the disaster relief work.
Around 500 million yuan will be used for resettlement of quake-affected people in Sichuan, 350 million yuan for purchasing 150,000 tonnes of grain and 14,000 tonnes of edible oil and 200 million yuan for medical treatment.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County, about 159 km northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu, has severely affected an area of more than 100,000 sq km, according to the rescue headquarters.
More than 50,000 people are feared dead.