Accra, May 24, GNA - The Ghana China Friendship Association has commended the Chinese Government for the prompt and efficient manner in which it was handling the earthquake that hit South-western Sichuan Province of China on May 12 2008. A press statement Mr Ben C. Eghan, Secretary of the Association, signed expressed the heartfelt condolences of the Association to the Government and people of China. The statement mentioned particularly the role of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in moving into the disaster area to take personal control of operations.

The death toll in the earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the Richter scale, has risen to 60,560 by 1000 hours on Saturday, with 352, 290 injured and 26,221 missing, the Information Office of the State Council has announced.

The Office said a total of 45.5 million people have been affected by the quake and nearly 14.4 million quake-victims have been evacuated. It said as at noon on Saturday, 178 aftershocks measuring above four on the Richter scale had been monitored in Sichuan. Medics had treated 290,000 quake victims out of whom 75,086 had to be hospitalised for some period, the Office said, adding that as at Saturday 1000 hours there had not been any reported case of a major epidemic outbreak or emergent public health incident.