The President of China, Hu Jintao has publicly offered his thanks to the international community for all the aid that has been pouring into the country to help out victims of the recent powerful earthquake. ‘I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments and international friends’, said President Hu in a statement issued by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

 

The officials in China inform that offers of assistance in the form of relief from home as well as the international community have exceeded $800 million. The death toll in the south-western Sichuan province of China is reported to have touched 28,881. But the state news agency reveals that about over 10,600 people are still trapped in the quake aftermath.

 

As per the estimation of the Chinese officials, the final death toll may touch at least 50,000. The Chinese PM Wen Jiabao who is also a geologist was traveling on a plane during the time of the quake and provided reassurance to the country on camera. What is noteworthy is that the response to the quake in China has been matched with an open handling of disaster in a nation that is normally known for maintaining secrecy in times of crisis.