China offered 5 million yuan (US$600,000) worth of goods and materials to Morocco on Wednesday as emergency humanitarian aid for the African country's quake-stricken areas, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce announced.

The earthquake, which struck northern Morocco Tuesday, killed over 500 people and injured more than 300 others.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale, but French seismologists put it at 6.3.

Most of the victims were women, children and the elderly, as many of the men in the region have gone to European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany for work.

Rescue and recovery efforts are under way but reports from the area indicate that poor transportation conditions are making the task harder.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2004)