(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-08 13:43

BEIJING -- The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, a non-governmental organization, has called for donations from across the country for cyclone victims in Myanmar.

Through an appeal posted on China's major news portal Sina.com, the foundation urged the nation to help the victims by donating cash or relief materials like food and medicines.

The NGO also urged the country's huge number of mobile phone users to donate by sending short text messages. Mobile phone users would give 1 yuan (US$0.14) by sending one message, it said.

The month-long campaign was launched Wednesday, Tang Houhu, an official with the foundation, told Xinhua Thursday.

He said the foundation had gathered relief materials worth US$500,000, including food and clothing for children, and was contacting the Myanmar Embassy in China for arrangements on how to ship the aid to cyclone victims as soon as possible.

The official death toll from the violent cyclone Nargis had risen to almost 23,000 as of Wednesday. The number of missing has risen to 42,119.

China's Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday China would offer US$1 million worth of aid, including relief materials worth US$500,000. The first batch of relief materials had been delivered by Wednesday afternoon.

The Red Cross Society of China has also offered US$30,000 in disaster relief aid to the Myanmar Red Cross Society.