Soldiers put up tents at Chenjia Village in Dahejia Township of Bonan-Dongxiang-Salar autonomous county of Jishishan, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, northwest China's Gansu province, Dec 19, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Various sectors of the community in the Macao Special Administrative Region have joined in the relief efforts for the victims of the earthquake in the northwestern Chinese mainland province of Gansu by donating more than 10 million patacas ($1.25 million) so far.  

Aid has poured in from the city’s leading gaming and resorts operator MGM China Holdings, which has donated 10 million patacas, and the Macau Red Cross, which offered a grant of 200,000 yuan ($28,040).

The MRC said it’ll continue to pay close attention to the conditions in the quake-stricken areas, and maintain close contact with the Red Cross Society of China and its Gansu branch in order to take prompt action

MGM’s donations were extended through the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR for emergency relief measures and post-disaster recovery work.

READ MORE: 113 dead as 6.2-magnitude quake rocks Gansu

Pansy Ho Chiu-king, chairperson and executive director of MGM China Holdings, said the whole nation is grieving for the mainland compatriots hit by the earthquake that has caused severe damage in Gansu, aggravated by the harsh winter conditions. She said immediate relief measures are needed in this critical hour, and hopes the people of Gansu will make a swift recovery from the disaster.

To meet the urgent need for materials and equipment against the extreme cold in Gansu, such as cotton tents, clothes and shoes, the Macau Red Cross decided to allocate 200,000 yuan to the Gansu branch of the Red Cross Society of China for purchasing relief materials.

The MRC said it’ll continue to pay close attention to the conditions in the quake-stricken areas, and maintain close contact with the Red Cross Society of China and its Gansu branch in order to take prompt action.

The Red Cross Society of China Gansu branch expressed its sincere gratitude to Macao for the SAR’s timely aid and care in times of disaster.

READ MORE: Companies pledged to donate after Gansu earthquake

As of 10am on Wednesday, 131 people have been killed and more than 700 hundred others injured in the 6.2-magnitude tremor that jolted Gansu, as well as neighboring Qinghai province, at midnight on Monday. More than 155,000 homes have been destroyed.