Villagers carry relief supplies sent by a helicopter in Caoke township of Shimian county, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, September 7, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

The People's Bank of China (PBC), the country's central bank, has launched a "green passage" in an all-out effort to ensure financial services for Southwest China's Sichuan Province in the wake of a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Luding county in Sichuan on Monday, the state broadcaster reported on Thursday.

The PBC's municipal sub-branch in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where the quake-struck county is located, put 75 million yuan ($10.78 million) of provincial-level special emergency funds and 21 million yuan of endowments into government coffers. The sub-branch also prioritized handling deposits and withdrawals by institutions hailing from the quake zone, according to the report.

Additionally, the central bank's sub-branch in Ya'an in Sichuan put 75 million yuan of quake relief funds into government coffers and allocated 60 million yuan to Shimian county in Ya'an, one of the hardest-hit areas. The sub-branch will also give aid to three other counties near the epicenter, totaling 15 million yuan.

Furthermore, the two PBC sub-branches were revealed to have guided local financial institutions to take a household-tailored approach to defuse risks facing quake-ravaged firms and individuals, read the Thursday report.

The financial institutions were also required to familiarize themselves with the quake's fallout on the real economy and the subsequent fundraising needs, and to improve credit extension services so as to prop up the work and production resumption in the quake zone.

As of Thursday noon, the 6.8-magnitude earthquake had claimed 86 lives, including 50 in Ganzi and 36 in Ya'an, and 35 people are still missing, according to the Xinhua News Agency.