Sinopec, the nation's largest oil refiner, said in Beijing on Thursday that the May 12 earthquake had no major impact on production and business.

The 8.0-magnitude quake, centered in the southwestern Chinese Sichuan Province, had not caused any casualties of its staff, said Sinopec in a statement.

Sinopec's natural gas fields in southwestern China have resumed daily supplies of more than 3 million cubic meters, it said, adding that gas supply to Chengdu, Sichuan provincial capital, has returned to the pre-quake level.

Gas supplies to other hardest-hit areas, such as Mianyang and Deyang, are on the rise as more households are using gas again, said the company.

Sinopec also said its business infrastructure in Sichuan and neighboring Chongqing Municipality sustained no major damage in the devastating earthquake and over 97 percent of its gas stations maintained normal business.

The company added its Puguang gas field and nearby exploration facilities were not damaged in the quake.

The death toll in China's major earthquake increased by 9,798 to 51,151 as 10:00 a.m. Thursday, according to the Information Office of the State Council.

And 288,431 people were injured and 29,328 missing in the 8.0-magnitude quake that jolted Sichuan Province on May 12.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2008)