China allocates emergency funds to quake-affected regions in Tibet

BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner on Sunday allocated 30 million yuan (4.9 million U.S. dollars) of emergency funds to the quake-affected regions in Tibet.

The National Development and Reform Commission said the funds will be used to support restoration work in Tibet following the Nepal earthquake.

A massive 8.1-magnitude quake shook Nepal at 2:11 p.m. (Beijing Time), killing more than 2,000 people in the country.

The quake and its aftershocks also affected some parts of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, adjacent to Nepal. Following the quake in Nepal, a 5.9-magnitude quake shook Xigaze at 5:17 p.m. Saturday. and a 5.3-magnitude quake shook Nyalam County at 1:42 a.m. Sunday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Rescuers are braving heavy snow and rain to reach the affected area, and their efforts are hampered by severe landslides on the road to Nyalam.

Snow will persist in Tibet till Monday, adding extra pressure to the rescue work, according to a forecast by the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Death toll in Tibet stands at 18, local authorities said on Sunday.