CHINA'S insurers have paid a combined 233 million yuan (US$33.57 million) in claims related to the devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan Province last month, the industry regulator said.

Insurers received about 220,000 claims in total for payment, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission said in a statement posted on its Website yesterday, citing figures as of Tuesday.

Life insurers have paid 142 million yuan for claims and property and casualty insurers paid 91.51 million yuan to both companies and individuals, the regulator said yesterday.

Five insurance employees and 20 agents were victims of the earthquake.

China Life Insurance Co has said it will make exemptions to expedite the claims process, including processing claims even for customers whose documentation was lost during the quake and extending payment deadlines, according to a separate statement posted on the industry watchdog's Website.