The Hong Kong Jockey Club said on Saturday it has donated HK$20 million ($2.55 million) to support rescue and relief work in the mudslide-hit areas of Gyirong county in the Xizang autonomous region.

The club made the donation through the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and expressed its condolences to those affected and their families, while wishing the injured a speedy recovery. It hopes the situation in the affected areas can gradually return to normal.

ALSO READ: Disaster authority: 675 dead, 2,498 missing in Nepal mudslide

The club had provided emergency support for previous major disasters on the Chinese mainland, including HK$1 billion for reconstruction work in Sichuan province following the 2008 earthquake; HK$20 million for flood relief in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, in 2021; HK$20 million for reconstruction work in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and northeastern China following floods in August 2023; and HK$20 million for earthquake relief work in Gansu and Qinghai provinces in December 2023.

The Sichuan University–Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, established with 200 million yuan ($29.72 million) in funding from the HKJC as one of its Sichuan reconstruction projects following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, has also responded promptly to the Xizang mudslide disaster, and is participating in the rescue efforts.

READ MORE: High-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal triggered mudslide

The West China Hospital of Sichuan University’s Emergency Medical Team -- a grantee of the Institute of Philanthropy established by the HKJC and its Charities Trust -- is also on site with a team of experienced clinicians, providing technical support for emergency rescue work.