Olympic torchbearers heavy-hearted for quake victims
15/5/2008 18:07
As the Olympic flame shed light today on Jianggangshan Mountains, the
relay organizers and torchbearers were heavy-hearted for victims of a deadly
earthquake in southwest China.
Donation boxes were placed along the
14.5-kilometer route to collect funds for the quake-stricken areas.
A
7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan county of Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m.
Monday. Death toll from the quake climbed to 14,866 by 2:00 p.m. yesterday,
according to official statistics.
All the people in the opening ceremony of
Jianggangshan Mountains relay, started at 8:00 in Huangyangjie Pass which is
1,343-meter above sea level, observed a minute of silence to those killed in the
quake.
"Let the torch relay pass our blessings and care to the
quake
sufferers," said Xie Ru, vice governor of Jiangxi province, while
hosting the simplified opening ceremony.
"I hope the Olympic torch can pass
confidence and hope to the disaster areas," said 53-year-old torchbearer Jiang
Yiman, a China's Red Cross worker.
"The Olympic torch relay represents not
only peace, harmony, but more importantly the care between each other. I hope
the relay can deliver a message of strength, confidence and hope," added
Jiang.
According to Jiang, China's Red Cross has raised donations valued 120
million RMB (US$17 million) for earthquake relief.
The relay is set to wrap
up at 12:00 a.m. with firefighter Liu Hao as the last
torchbearer.
Xinhua
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