Sichuan $180b short on rebuilding funds

Sichuan province is US$180 billion short of the US$244 billion it needs to rebuild after the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, AP reported, citing state media. The province is seeking to rebuild about 4.5 million homes, 51,000 kilometers of highway and 5,400 km of railways destroyed in the quake, which left 90,000 people dead or missing. Details of the shortfall were not revealed. Reconstruction plans also include the rebuilding of 12,000 schools and 4,000 office buidings. Despite the province having roughly a quarter of the money it needs for rebuilding, provincial Vice Governor Huang Xiaoxiang said the province was "back on track" and said Sichuan’s economy was stable and developing "relatively quickly."