The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has received public donations totaling more than 120 million yuan (US$17 million) for victims in earthquake-hit areas in southwest China.

So far, 14.6 million yuan worth of relief supplies in both cash and goods, including tents, quilts, food, medicine and drinking water disinfectant, had been forwarded to Sichuan Province, the RCSC said.

The RCSC has organized five disaster relief teams on Tuesday. The society sent a rescue team on Monday evening to survey the situation.

Urgently needed items included tents, quilts, food and water, but these were difficult to move to the region due to transport problems, so cash was preferred, said an official with the RCSC.

The China Charity Federation said on Tuesday it would forward 400 tents and 1 million yuan to the province, and it called for public donations.

The China Welfare Lottery Management Center has donated 5 million yuan to Wenchuan County and the China Disabled Persons' Federation and China Welfare Fund for the Handicapped have jointly donated 3 million yuan.

The China Education Development Foundation called for donations on Tuesday for the students affected by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, government and Communist Party of China (CPC) organs, and overseas Chinese also contributed to the cause.

The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) has offered more than 14 million yuan to the quake-hit region to mainly help young people and the reconstruction of schools.

Staff of the Supreme People's Procuratorate contributed more than 300,000 yuan.

The All-China Women's Federation has allocated 5 million yuan for Sichuan, with 2 million yuan reserved for Wenchuan County.

The State Ethnic Affairs Commission decided on Tuesday to grant 2 million yuan (US$285,000) to its Sichuan branch for relief work.

Overseas Chinese business people have donated 68.5 million yuan, said the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.

Wang Zhenyao, director of disaster relief with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, expressed appreciation to all donors on Tuesday.

"We really appreciate their kindness and will deliver their donations in a timely manner to the quake victims," he said.

The 7.8-magnitude quake is known to have killed at least 12,000 people nationwide.

The public can donate to the RCSC through the following bank account: for RMB donations, the address is the Dongsi Office, Beijing Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the account number is 0200001009014413252; for foreign currency donations, the address is Jiuxianqiao Branch of CITIC Bank and the account number is 7112111482600000209.

The RCSC has also opened a hotline on +86-10-65139999 and 86-10-64027620 for consultation during normal business hours.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)