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May 13, 2008
India Offers
All Help to Quake-hit China
New Delhi/Beijing
India Tuesday offered China "any assistance" to help it deal with
the situation in Sichuan province where an earthquake has killed
more than 12,000 people as Beijing expressed its willingness to
accept international aid to handle relief measures.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to his Chinese counterpart Wen
Jiabao expressing India's grief with the quake-hit "brethren of
China" and offered assistance to deal with the situation.
"The prime minister has expressed deep sorrow at the loss of lives
and property caused by the earthquake in China that struck Sichuan
province yesterday," Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru
said in a statement in New Delhi.
In his letter Manmohan Singh said the people of India share in the
grief of their brethren in China and expressed confidence that the
resilient people of China will overcome this grievous loss.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told journalists in
Beijing that the competent authorities in charge of disaster relief
works and civil affairs welcome the aid from international
community.
He said China expresses it thanks and welcomes the offer.
Apart from the United Nations, the US, Australia and Japan are among
the countries that have offered help to China.
According to Xinhua news agency, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC)
said it has received public donations worth more than 120 million
yuan ($17 million) for victims in the earthquake-hit areas in
southwest China's Sichuan province.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, relief supplies in both cash and goods worth 14.6
million yuan (about $2 million) were forwarded to the quake-hit
areas, RCSC said.
Among the supplies were tents, cotton-padded quilts, food, medicine,
and drinking water disinfectants.
RCSC, which has already sent a rescue team Monday evening to survey
the situation in the Sichuan province, organised five more disaster
relief teams Tuesday. RCSC has also called for donations.
The China Charity Federation announced it would forward 400 tents
and 1 million yuan to Sichuan. It also called for public donations.
The China Welfare Lottery Management Centre donated 5 million yuan
to Wenchuan county, while the China Disabled Persons' Federation and
China Welfare Fund for the Handicapped jointly donated 3 million
yuan for the quake victims.
The Red Cross Society has issued a number of its bank accounts in
which donors can deposit cash directly. It has also opened hotline
numbers +86-10-65139999 and +86-10-64027620 for consultation during
the daytime.
More than 12,000 people were killed in the 7.8-magnitude quake that
jolted the southwest province of Sichuan Monday.
The toll is believed to mount further as communications to many
areas have not yet been made.
May 13, 2008
IANS | Top
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