BEIJING - The first batch of relief materials arranged by the Ministry of Civil Affairs will soon arrive at the areas hit by Saturday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province.

Earthquake Strikes Ya'an, Sichuan

The materials, including 30,000 tents, 50,000 cotton quilts and 10,000 camp beds are scheduled to reach Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province around 9:00 pm Sunday and will be sent to the quake-affected zone as soon as possible, said Li Baojun, a senior official of the department in charge of disaster relief of the ministry.

Another batch of relief materials, including 20,000 tents and another 50,000 quilts will reach the city of Ya'an, where the county of Lushan, the epicenter, is located, by Tuesday, the ministry said.

Local civil affairs authorities in Sichuan also sent 10,000 tents to the quake zone, and so far, a total of 7,500 tents have been available in Ya'an.

According to Li, there are 120,000 residents in Lushan and 60,000 residents in the neighboring Baoxing, another county seriously affected by the quake.

"One tent will provide a temporary shelter to a family of three, and the total of 60,000 tents will be generally enough to shelter the affected residents in the two counties," Li said.

The ministry will also mete out allowances to local residents in the quake zone as well as to the quake victims' family members, Li said.

Moreover, the ministry is considering further reconstruction plans, the official said.