China's religious groups have donated about 20 million yuan (US$2.93 million) to the relief effort in quake-hit Yushu of northwestern Qinghai Province, said the State Administration for Religious Affairs here Monday.

The Buddhist Association of China held a prayer ceremony on Friday in Beijing collecting 2.33 million yuan in donations for the quake-hit people, the administration said in a press release.

At a ceremony held by the China Taoist Association on Saturday also in Beijing, about 1.08 million yuan was raised for quake relief.

The Islamic Association of China, Catholic and Christian societies have made donations totaling 1.3 million yuan.

The Amity Foundation, a charity group founded by Chinese Christians, donated 1 million yuan for rescue and relief on April 14 right after the earthquake hit Yushu.

Religious people in the affected region have also rushed to donate. On Friday, many mosques in Qinghai held fund-raising prayer ceremonies and a total of 1.81 million yuan and relief materials worth of 2.53 million yuan were raised, the statement said.

Buddhist societies in Qinghai have given 1.85 million yuan for quake relief as of Saturday.

Three major Tibetan Buddhist temples in Tibet donated about 750,000 yuan for the quake-hit people after the 11th Panchen Lama made a 100,000-yuan donation on April 16.

The 7.1-magnitude quake has claimed about 1,900 lives, injured 12,135 and left 216 people missing.

(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2010)