The 61st World Health Assembly (WHA) opened on Monday with an one-minute mourning for disaster victims in China and Myanmar.

"Tens of thousands of lives have been lost" in the earthquake in China's Sichuan Province, said President of the 61st WHA Jane Halton shortly after she announced the opening of the conference in the Palace of Nations.

"I ask you to think about all of those people as we meet here in Geneva," she told all delegates before they stood up for one-minute silence.

WHA, the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), holds annual conference in Geneva and is attended by delegations from all 193 WHO members.

China on Sunday revised the magnitude of the earthquake which was epicentered at Wenchuan County in the country's southwestern Sichuan province at 2:28 p.m. Beijing time last Monday to 8.0 from the previous 7.8 on the Richter scale.

The death toll from the massive quake rose to 32,476 nationwide as of 2:00 p.m. Sunday, while the injured numbered 220,109, according to the emergency response office under the State Council.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2008)