As the Olympic flame shed light Thursday on Jianggangshan Mountains, the relay organizers and torch bearers were heavy-hearted for victims of a deadly earthquake in southwest China.
Donation boxes were placed along the 14.5-kilometer route to collect funds for the quake-stricken areas.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. Monday. Death toll from the quake climbed to 14,866 by 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, according to official statistics.
All the people in the opening ceremony of Jianggangshan Mountains relay, started at 8:00 in Huangyangjie Pass which is 1,343-meter above sea level, observed a minute of silence to those killed in the quake.
"Let the torch relay pass our blessings and care to the quake sufferers," said Xie Ru, vice governor of Jiangxi Province, while hosting the simplified opening ceremony.
"I hope the Olympic torch can pass confidence and hope to the disaster areas," said 53-year-old torch bearer Jiang Yiman, a China's Red Cross worker.
"The Olympic torch relay represents not only peace, harmony, but more importantly the care between each other. I hope the relay can deliver a message of strength, confidence and hope," added Jiang.
According to Jiang, China's Red Cross has raised donations valued 120 million?yuan?(17 million US dollars) for earthquake relief.
The relay is set to wrap up at 12:00 a.m. with firefighter Liu Hao as the last torch bearer.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)