(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-13 01:05

BEIJING -- The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) on Monday decided to suspend the stock trading of 45 listed companies based in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality after the region was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

"Due to the strong earthquake in Sichuan's Wenchuan County, the exchange could not contact Sichuan and Chongqing companies listed on the SSE," said a statement.

The companies included the Sichuan Road and Bridge Co., Sichuan Tuopai Yeast Liquor Co. and Chongqing Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Electric Power Co.

The suspension of the 45 stocks would start on Tuesday, it said, adding trading would resume after the exchange could contact the companies.

The Shenzhen bourse had announced no suspensions as of 10:00 p.m. Monday, but three Sichuan companies listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange issued announcements about the quake.

The Luzhou Laojiao Co. and Panzhihua Iron and Steel Co. said due to the distance from the epicenter, they had not been influenced by the quake and was operating as normal.

The Sichuan Gaojin Food Co. said houses of subsidiary companies had quake damage, and the company had bought property insurance so possibilities of serious losses was slight, but suspension of production would "possibly have an impact on corporate profit".

The earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County at 2:28 p.m. Monday.