China's central bank vows timely disaster relief funds for earthquake areas
13/5/2008 16:42
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) called on its local branches today to
closely cooperate with the country's finance and civil affairs departments to
guarantee timely allocation of disaster relief funds for the earthquake-hit
areas.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Wenchuan County, 159 kilometers
northwest of the Sichuan provincial capital city of Chengdu, at 2:28 p.m.
yesterday.
The death toll caused by the earthquake climbed to 9,219 by this
morning in eight affected provinces and municipality of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi,
Yunnan, Shanxi, Guizhou, Hubei and Chongqing.
The PBOC convened an urgent
work meeting yesterday after the earthquake and vowed to collaborate with the
local governments in the relief efforts and start emergency response plan to
handle the daily business of its local branches, said the central bank in a
statement.
"The local branches of the PBOC should assist the governments in
providing adequate funds for the earthquake relief and other needed financial
services," said the central bank.
The central bank also urged its local
branches to ensure enough cash supply in earthquake-stricken areas, adding that
it would cooperate with public security and transportation agencies to make the
money escort safe.
The quake was the worst to strike China since the Tangshan
earthquake in north China's Hebei Province in 1976, which claimed 242,000
lives.
Xinhua
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