China earmarks 2.2b yuan for quake relief

BEIJING - ?The central government earmarked an additional 1.6 billion yuan ($259.64 million? dollars) late on Wednesday for quake relief efforts in Yunnan province, according to a statement from the National Committee for Disaster Reduction.

A total of 600 million yuan had already been allocated to the quake zone.

The committee has pledged to speed up efforts to transport and distribute relief materials since the road leading to the quake zone has been cleared. The state materials reserve will provide further support if necessary, the committee said.

As of Wednesday, the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Ludian County in Yunnan province had caused 589 deaths and injured more than 2,800 people.