(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-18 19:16

BEIJING -- Flags are to kept at half-mast and all public amusements will be suspended for three days from Monday as China begins an official mourning period for victims of the May 12 earthquake.

The State Council, the Cabinet, on Sunday ordered a nationwide display of respect for the dead.

China's missions abroad were also ordered to observe the order, and condolence books are to be opened in the Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates around the world.

The public are asked to stand in silence for three minutes from 2:28 pm, the time the killer earthquake hit Wenchuan, Sichuan Province on Monday, while automobiles, trains, and ships would sound their air sirens.

The order was issued in a brief circular that contained no further details.

The death toll from the powerful earthquake rose to 32,477 nationwide as of 2 pm on Sunday, while the number of injured reached 220,109, according to the emergency response office under the State Council.