The quake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, struck southwest China on May 12 and affected eight provinces, with Sichuan suffering the bulk of the devastation. Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said that around 300,000 people had been injured, with millions urgently needing shelter after their homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
"The United Nations stands ready to provide further support, as required, to the Government of China in its efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs caused by the disaster," the UN said in a statement.
The earthquake was the worst to hit the country in more than three decades. Xinhua news agency quoted a Sichuan official as saying earlier this week that the death toll could rise to 70,000 as many people remain trapped in the debris and the relief operation is being hindered by continuing aftershocks, heavy rain and landslides.
Direct economic losses from the quake are estimated at about 67 billion yuan ($9.6 billion) in the Sichuan province alone, Xi Guohua, a Chinese vice minister of industry and information technology, earlier said.
