Most of the main roads in quake-ravaged Sichuan Province have resumed operation as of Sunday afternoon, local authorities said Monday.

All highways had reopened to traffic, and most of the key roads linking worst-hit areas in Sichuan to other parts of China had been restored as of 5:00 PM Sunday thanks to workers' continuous efforts.

However, roads in 52 townships remained blocked for a week since the 8-magnitude earthquake, which incurred 25.2 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion) in economic loss due to damages of traffic infrastructure in the province.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2008)