More countries and organizations have sent messages of condolence and aid to China following the devastating earthquake in the country's southwestern Sichuan Province on May 12, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, Saudi Consultative Council Chairman Saleh Abdullah Hameed, Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Georgian parliament speaker Nino Burdzhanadze, Barbadian Senate President Branford Taitt have recently sent their sympathies to China over the quake, the ministry said in a press release.

Meanwhile, the Lao government, which earlier provided US$500,000 worth of timber in emergency aid, has offered US$100,000 in cash to China.

The Pakistani Red Crescent Society has donated 3,000 tents.

A batch of US$545,000 worth of aid materials provided by the Israeli Defense Ministry, including 150 tents and 9,600 blankets, have arrived in Sichuan.

Earlier, the Israeli government offered US$1.5 million worth of aid materials.

The Qatari government has provided 3,000 tents, food and other aid materials.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has offered 24 tons of materials, including 150 tents, quilts and field kitchens.

The Georgian government has provided 60 tents.

The Spanish Red Cross has offered nearly 430,000 euros (about US$645,000) worth of aid materials, including toilet facilities and five sets of mobile water-purifying equipment.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has donated 1,000 tents, which are worth about 270,000 dollars.

Till midday Monday, 69,019 people were confirmed dead in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake, which had its epicenter in Sichuan's Wenchuan County. The number of the injured has reached 373,573, while 18,627 people are reported missing.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2008)