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Chinese rescue and medical members arrive at the airport in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 20, 2013. The first batch of emergency medical and rescue team from China arrived in Manila Wednesday night for a relief mission in central Philippines which was devastated by super typhoon "Haiyan," or "Yolanda," on Nov. 8. (Xinhua/Tan Weibing)
The first batch of emergency medical and rescue team from China arrived in Manila Wednesday night for a relief mission in central Philippines which was devastated by super typhoon "Haiyan," or "Yolanda," on Nov. 8.
The team was composed of 18 members sent by Red Cross Society of China.
Rescue and medical leader Sun Shuopeng told Xinhua at the airport that they are expected to leave Manila soon for Tacloban, one of the hardest-hit areas, and stay there for 15 days.
Another medical group led by Vice-President of Chinese Red Cross Society Zhao Baige is due to arrive in Manila on Thursday.
China is ready to send more rescue teams at the request of the Philippines, Sun said.
Meanwhile, the Peace Ark Hospital Ship from the Naval force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is to set sail on Thursday for medical aid in the Philippines. The hospital ship is equipped with advanced medical systems including rooms for CT scanning, digital X-ray, and oxygen generation, a blood bank, compressed air system and so on.
"We hope its mission will help ease the lack of medical services in the disaster areas in the Philippines, as a token of Chinese people's friendship to the Philippine people," said Hong Lei, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry at a press briefing in Beijing.
Earlier this week, China shipped 73 million pesos (10 million yuan) worth of relief goods, which included 10,000 blankets and 2, 600 tents, each capable of housing 6-10 people, to Cebu, a disaster relief distribution center, and turned them over the Philippine side.
A charted airplane will bring 2,000 tents, medicines and medical devices to the disaster area on Saturday.
China increased its assistance to disaster-hit areas as it learned casualties and damages triggered by typhoon "Haiyan" kept growing.
The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Wednesday that the death toll from the typhoon soared to 4,011, as 10 million people were affected and the cost of damage to properties climbed to 12 billion pesos (275 million U.S. dollars).
