China's armed forces continue efforts in quake zone

BEIJING/LANZHOU/CHONGQING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- About 10,000 items of clothes and quilts as well as 400 boxes of drinking water and instant noodles are expected to arrive in Yushu of northwest China's Qinghai Province, hit by a major earthquake, on Friday afternoon.

A team of 19 vehicles sent by the Lanzhou military command have set off from Lanzhou, provincial capital of neighboring Gansu Province, on Thursday afternoon, said the military command headquarters.

The first batch of refueling vehicles, medical vehicles, cranes, power generators and other equipment for quake rescue have been sent to the quake zone, according to the logistics department of Chinese armed forces. The equipment had been used in rescue work in Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008.

In addition, 17 experts dealing with high-altitude sickness rushed to the quake zone on Friday morning from Chongqing to instruct rescuers on preventing highland sickness as the quake zone is at an average altitude of 3,700 meters.

They have brought medicines and manuals on prevention and treatment of highland sickness, according to the Chongqing-based Third Military Medical University that sent the doctors.

The armed police headquarters told Xinhua that 38 psychologists are working in the quake zone to help survivors and rescuers along with other 140 medical workers from the armed police medical institutions.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu on Wednesday, killing about 760 people, injuring more than 10,000 and leaving more than 100,000 homeless.