China allocates 180m yuan for post-quake relief

BEIJING -- The central government has allocated 180 million yuan ($27.1 million) for relief work after two major earthquakes hit northwest and southwest China.

A total of 80 million yuan has been given to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps to support relocation of disaster-hit people and renovation of their houses, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Another 100 million yuan has been allocated to Sichuan Province for similar purposes.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO nature reserve and popular tourist destination in Sichuan province, at 9:19 pm Tuesday, leaving 20 people dead and over 400 injured so far.

Thirty-two people were injured and more than 1,000 houses damaged in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Jinghe County in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang on Wednesday morning.