China on Wednesday granted US$50,000 to victims of the strong quake which took place on Saturday in Iran.
The grant was handed by Chinese Ambassador to Iran Sun Bigan on behalf of the Red Cross Society of China to Mostafa Mohaghegh, director general of the International Affairs Department of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Sun also conveyed the sympathy and condolences from the Red Cross Society of China and the Chinese people to the Iranian Red Crescent Society and the quake victims.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin has sent a condolence message to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami, expressing his belief that under the leadership of the Iranian government, the Iranian people would overcome the difficulties caused by the quake and rebuild their homes.
On behalf of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Mohaghegh expressed thanks for the grants to the Chinese Red Cross Society and the Chinese people, saying that this is not the first time that Iran has received grants from China for disaster relief.
On Saturday morning, a strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the open-ended Richter scale struck the northern and northwester parts of Iran, killing more than 200 people and wounding over 1,000 others.
About 40 villages were destroyed in the quake.
(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2002)
