THE Olympic torch relay in Ruijin, Jiangxi Province yesterday started with a minute of silence for the victims of the deadly earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

People participating in the opening ceremony of the Ruijin relay observed a minute of silence for the victims of the strong quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale which struck Wenchuan at 2:28 p.m. Monday.

The tremor was felt in many other parts of the country. The disaster caused more than 12,000 reported deaths by Tuesday evening in Sichuan alone.

Torch relays in each of the next 98 legs would observe a minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the earthquake, the Beijing Games organizers decided Tuesday night.

The torch relay organizers also started to accept cash donations for quake victims Tuesday at the Ruijin Hotel.

The Jiangxi Provincial government has donated 5 million yuan (US$710,000) and Ganzhou, which governs Ruijin and is the second largest city in Jiangxi, has contributed 2 million yuan. The Ruijin government, local entrepreneurs, celebrities and Olympic torchbearers combined to donate 1 million yuan.

The Ruijin leg of the relay was shortened. It began from the Red Army Square of Yeping, with Liu Jiaqi, 95 and a Red Army veteran, the oldest torchbearer.

Qiu Lixing, 15, one of the youngest runners, said he would donate his torch to China's Red Cross for auction.

Qiu, born with a heart problem, received heart surgery funded by a charity donation.

"I decided to donate my torch to China's Red Cross for auction,who has helped me a lot over years," said Qiu on Tuesday.

"The auction can be used to help the earthquake sufferers."

Ganzhou mayor Wang Ping said Ganzhou people's hearts went out to the quake victims.

"We are standing hand in hand, heart to heart with those suffering in disaster," said the mayor.

(Xinhua)