Nearly 1.45 billion yuan (US$201.3 million) in cash and relief supplies had been donated to snow disaster areas of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Saturday.

Of the total, 85.81 million yuan was collected by the ministry itself, while 227 million yuan was received by the Red Cross Society of China and 45.1 million yuan came from the China Charity Federation.

The seven worst-hit provinces and regions, including Hunan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Anhui, Hubei, Sichuan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have suffered from month-long snow and ice disasters.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2008)