More soldiers join rescue work in SW China quake

CHENGDU/BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- More officers and soldiers of People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) are now taking part in rescue and relief following a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China.

Sichuan provincial military command has mobilized more than 5,600 soldiers of militia and reserve forces in areas neighboring the Lushan county, the epicenter of the quake, while the garrison command of Chongqing municipality has deployed 300 people, 45 vehicles for different uses and other equipments to the disaster-hit area.

The provincial military command also distributed over 1,000 sets of tents, small engines, protective oral-nasal masks and gloves to the area.

In addition, the mobilization department under the General Staff Department of the PLA allocated various resources, including camouflage clothing and floodlights.

The number of PAPF Soldiers and officers in the disaster-torn area increased to 4,510, with 60 large-scale construction equipments, said PAPF headquarters, adding that one woman and one child have been saved by PAPF rescue team.

Over 8,400 PAPF soldiers and officers are waiting for orders in provinces neighboring Sichuan.

In the meantime, the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) has opened four landing spots for helicopters in county seat and three townships of Lushan. The PLAAF have sent more than 10 sorties of rescue resources to the area.

The PLA's General Staff Department on Saturday afternoon decided to equip a total of 260 sets of Beidou satellite positioning advices to the military units in the disaster area, and 103 sets have already entered the area as of 5 p.m. Beijing Time.

The Central Military Commission (CMC) ordered the Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC) to setup a joint command to lead all the armed forces units in the rescue and relief mission.

A military vehicle carrying 17 soldiers en route to the quake-hit area plummeted off a cliff around Saturday noon, killing one soldier at the scene, and another one died after in hospital.

In a special meeting held at noon Saturday, the CMC called for all-out efforts in the disaster relief work, with saving lives the priority.

All of the four departments of PLA, the Chengdu MAC, PLAAF, and PAPF have started carrying out emergency response for rescue and relief.

As of 4 p.m. Beijing time (8 a.m. GMT), the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) deployed 10 sorties of transport planes and helicopters for various rescue and relief work, including aerial photography, transporting and disaster situation reconnaissance.

More than 800 officers and soldiers from Chengdu MAC air force have been sent to the quake-hit area to open a landing spot for helicopters, and 50 engineering rescue specialists have arrived for field rescue work, while a PLAAF base in Sichuan deployed over 220 military staff to the area.

The Air Force Commander General Ma Xiaotian, who was overseeing the Air Force's units in the southwest Yunnan Province, changed his itinerary to Sichuan's Qionglai county, where he set up an Air Force headquarter for quake relief.

The Air Force Command also scrambled two reconnaissance aircraft from Beijing at 10:08 a.m. and 11:42 a.m. Saturday to take aerial photographs over the quake-hit area in Sichuan.

A transport aircraft was scrambled to Kunming of Yunnan Province from where it took a national rescue and relief team and transported it to the quake-hit area.

The Chengdu MAC has also sent medical aid, transport and engineering teams to assist in the quake-hit region.