Beijing, May 23, 2008--The 13th press conference on "environmental security after the Wenchuan Earthquake" was held at 4 p.m., Friday by the State Council Information Office.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as of Friday noon,  the death toll in China's major earthquake increased to 55,740. 292,481 people were injured and 24,960 missed in the 8.0-magnitude quake that jolted southwestern Sichuan Province on May 12.

As of Friday noon, donations from home and abroad to China's quake-hit regions had reached 24.644 billion yuan, and so far, 3.004 billion yuan had been forwarded to the earthquake-affected areas.

As of Friday noon, 175 aftershocks measuring 4 or higher on the Richter scale had been monitored since the 8-magnitude earthquake that rocked southwest China's Sichuan Province on May 12, according to the China Seismological Bureau. Quakes between 5 and 5.9 on the Richter scale numbered 27, while quakes above 6 on the Richter scale numbered 4.

As of 2 p.m. Friday ,14.629 bil yuan earmarked for disaster relief was allocated by governments at all levels, among which 10.826 bil yuan was from the central government and 3.803 bil yuan was from the local governments, according to the Ministry of Finance.

As of Friday noon, 73,939 people injured in the quake were hospitalized, 38,683 have left hospitals and 28,377 were still in hospitals, according to the Ministry of Health.