Saudi Arabia donated 1,460 prefab houses to northwest China's earthquake-hit Gansu Province  on Wednesday.

The houses were additional material assistance from the Middle East nation in July according to the needs of the quake-hit areas.

Saudi Arabia donated US$50 million to China's quake zones on May 14 and the money has been allocated to the southwest Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, and the northwest Gansu and Shaanxi provinces for reconstruction of schools and hospitals in the quake-hit areas.

The devastating earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Wenchuan County of Sichuan on May 12, leaving more than 80,000 dead or missing.

Liu Yongfu, the Gansu vice governor, thanked the Saudi Arabian government for its assistance, saying local people, with help from the international community, were confident to rebuild their homes.

A Saudi Arabia Ministry of Finance official said the Saudis were friends of the Chinese people, and his country believed the Chinese government and people would conquer the difficulties of the natural disaster.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2008)