BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Ethnic customs and willing of the bereaved families have been fully respected for funerals of quake victims in northwestern China's Qinghai Province, the deputy head of the provincial civil affairs authorities said Monday.
The death toll from the April 14 earthquake in Yushu of Qinghai hit2,220 by 5:00 p.m. Sunday, and funerals had been conducted for 2,192 of the dead, Deputy Governor Ma Junde told a press conference presided over by the State Council Information Office in Beijing.
The services included 593 burials, 917 cremations at local funeral institutions, 576 cremations at local monasteries, and 106 cremations outside Yushu, said Ma.
The procedures had been carried out in accordance with state regulations on funeral activities.
As for the funeral services, which were free of charge, ethnic customs and willing of the bereaved families have been fully respected, Ma said.
