Donations pour in for Yiliang victims

Chinese are opening their hearts and their wallets for earthquake victims in Yiliang county, Southwest China’s Yunnan province.

The county has received 108.81 million yuan ($17.16 million) in cash donations as of 5 pm on Monday, said a media officer surnamed Liu from the county information office.

That amount includes about 68.5 million yuan donated through the provincial government, 94.5 million yuan through the provincial charity federation and 13.42 million yuan through the city and county governments.

A series of earthquakes hit the county on Friday, leaving thousands of people in desperate need of help.

More than 21,000 tents, thousands of quilts and articles of clothing from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Yunnan department of civil affairs have been sent to Yiliang.

Liu also said the disasterstricken area is badly in need of supplies, especially instant noodles and bottled water.

The county, a traditional home of the Miao ethnic group, was hit by a magnitude-5.7 earthquake on Friday and a series of aftershocks over the weekend.

The death toll reached 81 as of Monday morning. More than 800 people were injured, thousands of homes collapsed, and electricity and water supplies were reduced. Rescuers said aftershocks and landslides have continued to threaten the mountainous region.

By Monday, communication had been partly restored to the disaster-stricken area as the country’s communication giants, including China Mobile and China Unicom, dispatched employees from nearby provinces to fix broken cables and sent satellite communication equipment.

In addition, about 600 free cellphones have been offered. The companies have also installed televisions at shelters to keep residents updated with the latest information.