A total of 21.6 million bottles of mineral water are being sent to southwest China's quake-hit areas as relief supplies.

The water, procured by the commerce ministry, are being transported to Sichuan Province by rail, according to a spokeswoman with the Nongfushanquan Mineral Water Co. Ltd.

The ministry announced on Tuesday it sent 10,000 flashlights, 40,000 batteries and 200,000 candles to the quake victims as the first batch of disaster relief materials.

A strong quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan's Wenchuan County at 2:28 p.m. on Monday, leaving more than 12,000 reported deaths by Tuesday evening in the province alone.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)