TEHRAN -- Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has been granted Shining World Compassion Award for its humanitarian aid to victims of earthquake in China’s Sichuan province.

Head of Iranian Red Crescent Society Masud Khatami received the plaque of honor from the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association (SMCHIA) during a ceremony held at IRCS on Tuesday morning.
The representative of award committee of Supreme Master Ching Hai, Jim Su from Taiwan, granted the award to Khatami. He also expressed the SMCHIA gratitude to the Iranian society.
Chairman of the committee N C Eng from Malaysia also attended the ceremony.
The earthquake and aftershocks in Sichuan and other parts of southwest China caused extensive damage, injury and loss of lives.
In response to an appeal for foreign aid for the Sichuan earthquake victims, Iran sent 63,000 tents and medical equipments to the people in quake-hit areas.
According to the UN figures, the devastative May 12 earthquake centered in China’s Sichuan province claimed some 70,000 lives and left millions of others homeless in Sichuan and other affected regions in the country.
Sichuan earthquake with the magnitude of 7.9 Richter scale was the deadliest since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people.
Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, established for over two decades, is a non-profit organization with worldwide members from all cultural backgrounds.
Supreme Master Ching Hai Association have devoted considerable efforts toward providing humanitarian relief to disaster victims and the less fortunate, as well as promoting sustainable lifestyle choices such as vegetarianism, meaning an animal-free diet, which benefits our planet and all her inhabitants.