Another 520,000 tons of fuel and 1.07 million tons of coal were also dispatched to the quake zones.

As of Thursday morning, 98.2 percent of banks in the quake-hit areas have resumed their services. A total of 238 outlets were still out of work.

From Wednesday noon to Thursday noon, 219 aftershocks had been monitored in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to the Information Office of the State Council.

All 219 aftershocks were below 3.9 on the Richter scale and none above 4-magnitude was monitored, said the office.

The government disaster relief fund for earthquake-stricken areas had hit 20.94 billion yuan (2.99 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday noon, up 1.38 billion yuan from the previous day.

The fund included 16.69 billion yuan from the central budget and 4.25 billion yuan from the local budget, the office said.

In addition, donations from home and abroad to China's quake-hit regions had reached 37.3 billion yuan (5.33 billion U.S. dollars), up 2.5 billion yuan from the previous day.

So far, 10.4 billion yuan, in cash and relief materials, had been forwarded to the earthquake-affected areas, the office said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2008)