(For related story see QUAKE or [ID:nPEK336919]) May 16 (Reuters) - The death toll from the most devastating earthquake to hit China in three decades is expected to rise to more than 50,000 in Sichuan province alone. About 20,000 people were killed by the Monday tremor in southwest Sichuan, and rescue teams are racing to save another 25,000 people believed to be buried under debris. Accepting offers of help from Japan and Taiwan on Thursday, Beijing has also welcomed rescue teams offered by South Korea, Singapore and Russia. Here are some of the aid pledges to date: CHINA: - 3.41 billion yuan ($487 million) from central government; 1.34 billion yuan ($192 million) donated by public as of Thursday. - Popular sportsman and Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming gave $214,000 and half a million yuan to the Red Cross Society of China. - Hong Kong: HK$300 million ($38 million) from the government. HK$30 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club. - Macau: 100 million yuan ($14.3 million) from the government and 10 million yuan from the Macau Foundation. COUNTRIES AND REGIONS: - Belgium: 650,000 euros ($1 million). - Britain: 1 million pounds ($1.95 million). - France: Sending cargo plane loaded with material worth an estimated 250,000 euros (about $386,000). - Germany: 500,000 euros (about $772,000). - India: $5 million. - Japan: $4.8 million in cash and goods. Two rescue teams of firefighters, police, coast guard personnel and other officials -- the first Japanese government teams to carry out relief operations in China -- travelled to Sichuan on Friday. - New Zealand: NZ$500,000 ($404,900) to Red Cross for aid. - Poland: $100,000. - Russia: Four plane-loads of 130 tonnes of relief material. On Friday a plane carrying the first batch of 49 Russian rescue and medical personnel arrived. - Saudi Arabia: $50 million cash; $10 million aid materials. - Singapore: $200,000. Sending a rescue team. - South Korea: Roughly $1 million. Sending 44 rescue workers on Friday, and chartered flight with supplies on Sunday. - Taiwan: T$2 billion ($71 million) from the outgoing Democratic Progressive Party government; and T$2.2 billion from Taiwan public. On Thursday, the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own flew a chartered aircraft to Sichuan to transport relief materials. Taiwan Red Cross search and rescue team heads for China on Friday. - Thailand: $500,000. - United States: $500,000 "initial contribution". INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: - The International Olympic Committee: $1 million. - Oxfam: $1.55 million for emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Sources: Reuters, Chinese, Taiwan and Hong Kong media, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Oxfam website. ($1 = 6.991 Yuan) (Compiled by Guo Shipeng, additional writing by Gillian Murdoch; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Soldiers rescue a man who survived in the rubble of a chemical factory in Shifang, Sichuan province May 16, 2008. China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands ...
Earthquakes
