As millions have lost their homes and are looking for aid, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has launched an emergency plan to purchase the most-needed relief materials, including tents and quilts.

In an interview with CRI, Zhang Xiaoning, chief of the Disaster and Social Relief Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that as of 3 pm on Thursday, nearly 40 thousand relief tents and 50 thousand quilts have been sent to the earthquake-hit region. But they are still short of supplies.

"To guarantee the basic necessities for survivors, we have started a plan to purchase emergency relief materials including tents, quilts, lamps and mobile toilets. The supplies will be sent to the region as soon as possible."

He also indicated that the Ministry has selected some manufacturers to accelerate their production so that more can be sent to the people in need.