China allocates 600 mln yuan to quake-hit Yunnan

BEIJING -- China's central government has allocated 600 million yuan ($97.3 million) to fund rescue and relief in earthquake-hit Yunnan Province, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.

The funds will be used to search for survivors, relocate local residents, medical treatment, console bereaved families and emergency repairs of public facilities, the ministry said in an online statement.

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Ludian County of Zhaotong City in Yunnan on Sunday, killing at least 398 people and leaving 1,801 others injured. Nearly 80,000 houses collapsed and 124,000 others were seriously damaged.

Authorities have sent 11,000 police and firefighters, over 7,000 soldiers and armed police, as well as eight planes to the areas affected, but rescue has been hampered by heavy rain.