China quake relief donations surpass $40 million

BEIJING -- The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) received donations worth more than 250 million yuan ($40.7 million) for Ludian quake relief as of Thursday, a RCSC official said on Friday.

According to Zhao Baige, RCSC's executive vice president, the donations include about 178 million yuan in cash and about 72 million yuan worth of goods.

Nearly 40 percent of the donations have been channeled to the quake-hit region. They include 33.7 million yuan in cash and 63.4 million yuan worth of materials.

The RCSC has sent various relief items to the quake zone, including food, water, tents, quilts, clothing, kitchenware, health kits and water equipment. The RCSC also used some of the donations to cover the spending of rescue operations, Zhao said.

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Ludian County in southwest China's Yunnan Province on August 3. It has killed more than 600 people and destroyed 80,000 homes in Ludian County and surrounding areas.

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