$166m allocated to China's quake-hit Yunnan

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Finance on Saturday allocated 1.05 billion yuan ($165.58 million) as relief fund to southwestern Yunnan province after quakes shook the region on Friday.

The first earthquake measuring 5.7 in magnitude struck at 11:19 a.m. Friday in Yiliang County, Yunnan Province, and a powerful magnitude-5.6 aftershock hit about an hour later.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, the money will be used for evacuation and relocation of quake-affected people, subsidies and compensation provided to the families of the deceased, repair and reconstruction of damaged houses, roads, telecommunications network and other public facilities.

Eighty people have been confirmed dead as of Saturday noon and another 820 people were injured in the quakes, local authorities said.

The death toll may climb further as the quakes have seriously damaged telecommunications and traffic infrastructure, making it difficult to collect information, said a spokesman with the provincial civil affairs department.

More than 200,000 people in Yunnan were relocated as more than 6,600 houses collapsed and another 430,000 damaged. Direct economic losses were estimated at 3.5 billion yuan, according to the local civil affairs department.