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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Red Cross Society of China has made an emergency call for international aid for the relief of victims from the areas that have been severely affected by Monday's earthquake. U j)~ >V'
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On Thursday, the Chinese society asked via the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, for 20 million CHF (1 U.S. dollars = 1.0515 CHF) for financial assistance for the affected people. %pNK ? M+
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The money will be used, within a period of 12 months, to buy relief goods including food, drinking water, tents, warm clothes, lighting equipment, and telecommunications facilities, according to the society. G}d-L!YbE'
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On Monday, an earthquake measuring 7.8 degrees on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, southwest China, and affected a large part of the country. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, nearly 20,000 deaths have been reported and the official estimates put the total death toll at 50,000 or more.
