Southwest China's Sichuan Province needs 1.67 trillion yuan (about US$245.6 billion) for reconstruction after the devastating earthquake on May 12, Huang Xiaoxiang, the province's vice governor, said on Sunday.

"Sichuan is still in need of a large amount of fund despite the efforts of the central government, local governments and other social sectors," Huang told a conference held in Xiamen City, in eastern Fujian Province.

The total funds, including those the central and other provincial governments raised, overseas donations, and lottery earnings, accounted for less than 25 percent of what the reconstruction work demanded.

Huang said the province would rebuild 4.5 million urban and rural homes, 51,000 km of highways, 5,500 km of railways, 11,700 schools and 9,700 medical institutions.

Apart from that, 2,000 reservoirs, 810 power stations and more than 100,000 hectares of farmland needed to be restored.

The reconstruction work was expected to consume 37 million tonnes of steel, 370 million tonnes of cement, 210 billion bricks and 20 million cubic meters of timer.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2008)