From correspondents in West Bengal, India, 08:00 PM IST

China has donated $30,000 (Rs.1.41 million) to the Indian Red Cross Society for cyclone relief work in West Bengal.

China's ambassador to India, Zhang Yan, Thursday handed over a cheque to S.P. Agarwal, secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society, according to a statement issued here Saturday.

As many as 5.3 million people have been affected by Cyclone Aila, which ravaged coastal areas of the state May 25 across 13 districts. It claimed at least 117 lives. Nearly 600,000 houses were fully or partly damaged.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)