Goods and cash with a total value of 59.5 billion yuan (US$8.75 billion) have been donated to help the survivors of the May 12 earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The donations included 8.52 billion yuan (US$1.25 billion) worth of goods. The disaster area had received 27.3 billion yuan of the donations to date, the ministry said.

Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Jiang Li said the ministry had organized staff nationwide to collect relief materials and tightened regulation over the use of relief funds.

The Canadian government on Friday donated 8 million Canadian dollars (US$6.8 million) to the quake area for the reconstruction of buildings such as schools and nursing homes.

The 8-magnitude quake, centered in Wenchuan County, left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2008)