A government official pledged Friday that authorities in earthquake-hit Sichuan Province in southwest China would use relief cash and supplies in a transparent way by publishing detailed information about use on the Internet.

Meanwhile, local authorities would severely punish those who misappropriated rescue tents, which are urgently needed for sheltering 5 million homeless quake victims, said Chen Kefu, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs.

"No matter how relief supplies and cash are used, we will publish such information on the Internet in the future. For the time being, we are busy with sending relief supplies to the quake-hit areas," Chen said.

Last week's 8.0-magnitude quake centered in Wenchuan County has left 55,239 dead in Sichuan alone as of 7:00 p.m. Thursday, 281,066 injured and 24,949 still missing. Rescuers have pulled a total of 83,988 people from rubble.

More than 140,000 troops and 48,680 medical workers have been sent to Sichuan for disaster relief.

In terms of the intensity and scope of destruction, the May 12 quake is believed to have surpassed the 7.8-magnitude quake in 1976 in Tangshan, northern Hebei Province, which claimed more than 240,000 lives.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2008)