Friday May 16, 9:58 PM
FACTBOX-Earthquake aid for China
May 16 (Reuters) - The death toll from the most devastating
earthquake to hit China in three decades is expected to rise to
more than 50,000 in Sichuan province alone.
About 20,000 people were killed by the Monday tremor in
southwest Sichuan, and rescue teams are racing to save another
25,000 people believed to be buried under debris.
Accepting offers of help from Japan and Taiwan on Thursday,
Beijing has also welcomed rescue teams offered by South Korea,
Singapore and Russia.
Here are some of the aid pledges to date:
CHINA:
- 3.41 billion yuan ($487 million) from central government;
1.34 billion yuan ($192 million) donated by public as of
Thursday.
- Popular sportsman and Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming
gave $214,000 and half a million yuan to the Red Cross Society
of China.
- Hong Kong: HK$300 million ($38 million) from the
government. HK$30 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
- Macau: 100 million yuan ($14.3 million) from the
government and 10 million yuan from the Macau Foundation.
COUNTRIES AND REGIONS:
- Belgium: 650,000 euros ($1 million).
- Britain: 1 million pounds ($1.95 million).
- European Commission: 2 million euros ($3.10 million)
- France: Sending cargo plane loaded with material worth an
estimated 250,000 euros (about $386,000).
- Germany: 500,000 euros (about $772,000).
- India: $5 million.
- Japan: $4.8 million in cash and goods. Two rescue teams
of firefighters, police, coast guard personnel and other
officials -- the first Japanese government teams to carry out
relief operations in China -- travelled to Sichuan on Friday.
- New Zealand: NZ$500,000 ($404,900) to Red Cross for aid.
- Poland: $100,000.
- Russia: Four plane-loads of 130 tonnes of relief material.
On Friday a plane carrying the first batch of 49 Russian rescue
and medical personnel arrived.
- Saudi Arabia: $50 million cash; $10 million aid
materials.
- Singapore: $200,000. Sending a rescue team.
- South Korea: Roughly $1 million. Sending 44 rescue
workers on Friday, and chartered flight with supplies on
Sunday.
- Taiwan: T$2 billion ($71 million) from the outgoing
Democratic Progressive Party government; and T$2.2 billion from
Taiwan public. On Thursday, the self-ruled island Beijing
claims as its own flew a chartered aircraft to Sichuan to
transport relief materials. Taiwan Red Cross search and rescue
team heads for China on Friday.
- Thailand: $500,000.
- United States: $500,000 "initial contribution".
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS:
- The International Olympic Committee: $1 million.
- Oxfam: $1.55 million for emergency relief, rehabilitation
and reconstruction.
Sources: Reuters, Chinese, Taiwan and Hong Kong media,
Chinese Foreign Ministry, Oxfam website.
($1 = 6.991 Yuan)
(Compiled by Guo Shipeng, additional writing by Gillian
Murdoch; Editing by David Fogarty)
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