Russia, Tonga donate to China for snow disaster relief

BEIJING—Russia and Tonga recently provided assistance to China for disasters relief in snow stricken areas, sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry said here Friday.
The Russian government decided to donate 10 large-scale diesel generators and 16,500 pieces of quilts to the affected regions. Part of the relief materials on Friday afternoon was sent to Guiyang, capital city of southwest Guizhou Province, one of the worst ice-stricken regions in south China. The materials would also be transported to Hunan, another worst-hit province. The government of Tonga decided to donate 25,000 U.S. dollars to China.
Snow and ice storms plagued eastern and southern China since mid-January, leading to widespread traffic jams, structural collapses, blackouts and crop losses in 19 provincial regions, leaving 129 people dead and causing 151.65 billion yuan (21.3 billion U.S. dollars) of losses. It was the worst snow disaster for the country over the past five decades.
Donations from overseas Chinese to assist disaster relief in parts of China hit by severe winter weather have reached 170 million yuan (24 million U.S. dollars), according to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.
Since mid-January, 19 provinces, many in the south of the country, have experienced lingering low temperatures, heavy snow and freezing rain, which have left 129 people dead and caused 151.65 billion yuan in losses.
On Jan. 31, a group of overseas Chinese-funded companies made their first donations to the State Council office, which initiated a program encouraging overseas Chinese to contribute. By Friday, the office had received 130 million yuan in cash and 40 million yuan worth of materials. Some of the money has been given to the families of power industry workers who died repairing power lines.—Xinhua