Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

    BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) -- A number of Chinese embassies and consulates Monday morning flew their national flags at half-mast in mourning for victims of the May 12 earthquake in China's Sichuan province.

    In New Zealand, Chinese embassy in Wellington and consulate general in Auckland flew their national flags at half-mast Monday morning.

    Over 40 diplomatic officials at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, stood in silent tribute to the quake victims at a ceremony at 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT or 8:00 a.m. Bejing time) in which the national flag was lowered to half-mast.

    National flags at Chinese consulate generals in Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Nagasaki, Nagoya were lowered to half-mast at the same time.

    A mourning ceremony was held at the Chinese consulate general in Rio de Janeiro at 5:30 p.m. Sunday local time (2030 GMT or 4:30a.m. Monday Beijing time), when the national flag at the diplomatic mission started to fly at half-mast.

    Meanwhile, China's mission to the United Nations, Chinese embassies and consulates in the United States, Australia, Chile, Indonesia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) also mourned quake victims with their national flags at half-mast.

    China has declared a three-day national mourning for the quake victims. All Chinese national flags will fly at half-mast at home and in Chinese diplomatic missions abroad from Monday to Wednesday. Public recreational activities will be halted during the mourning period.

    At 2:28 p.m. Monday (0628 GMT), Chinese citizens nationwide will observe a three-minute silence to mourn quake victims, while air raid sirens and horns of cars, trains and ships will wail in grief.

    In the mourning period, condolence books will be opened in the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates around the world. The Beijing Olympic torch relay will also be suspended.

    China on Sunday revised the magnitude of the earthquake which hit Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, at 2:28 p.m. May 12 to 8.0 from the previously reported 7.8.

    The death toll from the massive quake rose to 32,476 nationwide as of 2 p.m. Sunday, while the injured numbered 220,109, according to the emergency response office under the State Council.