Public mourning held for quake victims

CHENGDU - Public mourning was held on Saturday morning in Southwest China's Sichuan province for those who died in a 7.0-magnitude quake a week ago.

Students lower their heads during a silent tribute to the victims of Lushan April 20 earthquake, in Lushan Middle School, Ya'an city, Southwest China's Sichuan province on April 27, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

The public mourning began with all transportation vehicles sounding their sirens at 8:02 am, the time the devastating earthquake hit on April 20, and was followed by a silent tribute of 3 minutes.

The quake has claimed nearly 200 lives and destroyed about 126,000 homes, according to official figures.

On Friday, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a statement that 1,516 wounded people, including 43 terminally-ill patients and 69 severe cases, are being treated in hospital in Sichuan.

More than 1.5 billion yuan ($243 million) has been allocated to quake victims, with 10 yuan and 0.5 kilograms of grain distributed daily to each person.

More than 87,000 tents, 233,000 quilts, 25,000 items of clothing and 3,393 tons of food have been provided by local governments. And 426 medical centers and 1,015 relocation sites have been set up as of Friday.

China's beverage maker JDB Group has announced a donation of 100 million yuan to Lushan, the largest donation thus far from any company in China.

Shu Yuhui, chairman of the Quan Jian Natural Medicine Science and Technology Development Co Ltd, also made a donation of 100 million yuan, making it the largest individual contribution for earthquake relief efforts.

Related:

Baoxing gets back to business, but quake fears linger

Hope springs eternal in the hearts of quake victims

Trauma soothed after deadly quake

China on secondary disaster alert after quake

Quake warning system in the works