China steps up disaster relief to quake-hit regions

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government is stepping up disaster relief to northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake at midnight Monday killed over 100 people.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday allocated 200 million yuan (about 28.18 million U.S. dollars) of funds to the provinces. Of the total, 150 million yuan will be used to support Gansu, while 50 million yuan will go to Qinghai.

The second batch of relief goods, including 2,500 cotton tents, 20,000 coats and 5,000 rollaway beds, has been sent to Gansu, and Qinghai has also received 1,500 tents, 5,000 cotton coats and 5,000 beds, among other relief materials. As of Tuesday morning, a total of 111,500 relief items have been allocated to local authorities to support the basic needs of the affected people.

The quake occurred at 11:59 p.m. Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter Liugou Township is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao'an, Dongxiang, Salar Autonomous County in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu.

In Gansu alone, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 105, according to local authorities. The quake also caused 13 deaths in neighboring Qinghai.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the road network around the epicenter is operating normally. In sections where roadbed collapses and damage to bridge structures were reported, traffic has been restored following initial repair work.

The power supply in Jishishan has been largely resumed. According to the State Grid Corporation of China, electricity has been reinstated for 88.36 percent of users, and the power generation facilities of the nearby Liujiaxia hydropower station are functioning normally.